The Los Angeles Lakers have had a busy start to NBA free agency. They agreed to re-sign Austin Reaves to a four-year, $56 million contract on Saturday. Reaves was linked to a number of different teams but ultimately deiced to return to Los Angeles. The Lakers added three interesting clauses in the contract to ensure Reaves didn't leave the team, per Shams Charania.
“More details: Reaves’ new deal contains a player option on Year 4, a 15 percent trade kicker, and the maximum advance allowable, per sources. The Lakers included everything they legally could to make sure Reaves stayed in Los Angeles,” Charania wrote on Twitter.
Reports were released throughout the early portion of the offseason that the Lakers were intent on re-signing Reaves. He isn't the Lakers' best player but he added valuable depth during the 2022-23 season. Without Reaves, Los Angeles probably wouldn't have fared as well as they did.
Austin Reaves is back in LA
Reaves is only 25-years old and is just entering his prime. It's unclear exactly how high his ceiling truly is, but at the very least he will be an important role player for the Lakers. Perhaps he can emerge as an All-Star at some point down the road though.
The 2022-23 season was Reaves' second in the NBA. He averaged 13.0 points per game on 52.9 percent field goal shooting and 39.8 percent three-point shooting. Reaves added 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest across 64 games played.
Austin Reaves stepped up even more during the 2023 NBA playoffs, averaging 16.9 points per game for the Lakers. Los Angeles performed well up until the Western Conference Finals, when they were swept by the Denver Nuggets. Regardless, the team's future is bright with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the charge.
Bringing Austin Reaves back will help matters as well moving forward. We will continue to monitor and provide updates on the Lakers' offseason as they are made available.
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