Austin Reaves has been a vital piece for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, and he is looking to help the Lakeshow win their 18th championship in franchise history as the NBA Playoffs continue.
Shortly after going undrafted in 2021, the Lakers signed him in a two-year contract worth $2,488,776. Since then, the agreement proved to be a bargain, as the 24-year-old guard brought hustle, scoring, and intangibles to the table for the past two seasons.
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Lakers Concerned About Other Teams Offering Reaves Bigger Money
Reaves is currently making $1,563,518 for the 2022-23 NBA season. That figure can change exponentially this summer as he is set to hit restricted free agency.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the most that the Lakers can offer the young guard is a four-year deal worth around $50 million.
“The most the Lakers can offer outright is 4-years, a bit over $50M… If you’re Austin Reaves, what can you get out in the marketplace?” 💰@ShamsCharania on an impressive Austin Reaves#RunItBack pic.twitter.com/GycbAcRUyR
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) May 15, 2023
Being a restricted free agent, other teams in the league can offer Reaves a bigger contract, but the Lakers can also match any of them.
The Lakers have been concerned about another team offering Reaves a contract way higher than their budget.
Although they can still match any offer made to the 6-foot-5 guard, salary cap and luxury tax concerns may arise, making it hard for the purple-and-gold franchise to keep Reaves.
Reaves expressed his desire to play for the Lakers for the rest of his career in an interview last month with Charania.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves sits down with @Stadium: “I want to be a Laker, so hopefully we can get this done and I can stay there for hopefully my whole career.” On upcoming free agency, a special 2021 training camp moment, surprising his opponents, much more: pic.twitter.com/sa83nlnatT
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 10, 2023
"I want to be a Laker, so hopefully we can get this done and I can stay there for hopefully my whole career," Reaves stated.
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