Prior to Austin Reaves re-signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs reportedly pondered the idea of making a bid for the young guard.
ESPN Zach Lowe said on “The Lowe Post” that the Lakers saved a great deal of money after the Spurs and other teams chose not to sign Reaves to an offer sheet.
“I think the Reaves contract has a chance to be one of the best contracts in the league from a team perspective,” said Lowe. “And the Lakers got very, very lucky that nobody made them pay through the nose. And I know San Antonio was going back and forth on it and just for whatever reason didn’t do it, and that’s a steal.”
The Lakers ended up agreeing to re-sign Reaves to a four-year deal worth $56 million. That amount is much lower than potential deals with other teams that could have been worth up to $100 million.
Even before free agency began, the Lakers had indicated that they planned to re-sign Reaves, even if it turned out to be a nine-figure amount.
The Spurs had more flexibility with their payroll to pursue Reaves, who had a breakout campaign during the 2022-23 season. Reaves definitely improved his negotiating stance with an outstanding postseason in which the Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals.
Reaves made an immediate impact during the Lakers’ first playoff game against the Memphis Grizzlies. In that contest, he scored 14 fourth-quarter points to help spark a six-game upset in the series.
Against the Golden State Warriors, Reaves continued to perform well and aided the Lakers in another six-game series victory.
Even though the Lakers’ hopes of reaching the 2023 NBA Finals were dashed in a four-game sweep by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets, Reaves did his best to aid the Lakers’ cause. During that series, he averaged 21.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
Some may look at the deal Reaves signed and feel that he should have asked for more money. Yet, considering where he was just two years ago, the salary increase will be more than enough.
In 2021, the 25-year-old Reaves signed with the Lakers as an undrafted free agent on a two-way deal. Within a few months, he had impressed the team enough that he was upgraded to a standard contract.
As a result of the Spurs’ reluctance, the re-signings of Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell turned out to be less financially painful than was first feared.
Retaining that trio offers hope that the chemistry the Lakers established after the All-Star break will take the team deeper into next year’s postseason.
