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There's been a lot of buzz surrounding Austin Reaves this season amid what has been another eye-opening campaign for the Los Angeles Lakers guard. The 24-year-old has been integral to LA's success this year, and he's carried his strong form to the postseason against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.
This is also why it comes as no surprise that a spotlight has been shined on Reaves' future with the Lakers, especially considering how the undrafted guard's current contract is set to expire at the end of this season. According to ESPN's NBA guru Adrian Wojnarowski, opposing teams will be exploring the possibility of snagging Reaves away from the Lakers this summer:
“A franchise with the requisite salary-cap space could backload a multiyear offer to Reaves that would pay him $60 million over four years, starting at $11.4 million but leaping to $18.5 million in the final two, according to [ESPN salary cap expert Sean Marks], but both Reaves and the Lakers sound committed to striking a deal,” Woj wrote in his report.
That's a lot of money, and unfortunately for the Lakers, they might not have enough cap room to be able to meet this number. Nevertheless, Austin Reaves himself has dropped a massive hint on his willingness to remain in LA:
“I would love to be here my whole career,” Reaves said. “Just the way that the fans treat me, the love they have for me, as an undrafted player, it's kind of like they raised me type of vibe. … It feels like it's meant to be. It feels like this all happened for a reason and this is where I should be.”
Obviously, these are just words and so much can still happen from now until the start of next season. After all, until Reaves puts pen to paper on a new deal, he's still going to be a fight risk for the Lakers. However, based on his strong statement above, it is clear that Austin wants to remain with the Lakers for the long haul. The LA faithful are now just hoping that the front office gets a deal done as soon as possible.
