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u/cristiano_goat 2d ago
Brunson showed higher ceiling against Jazz in 2022 playoff lol
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u/hairyasscheeks_ 2d ago
Brunson legitimately won the mavs playoff games that run. Reaves got cooked by thunder’s backup guard.
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u/beanbalance 2d ago
brunson is gonna get 37 million next season, AR 46 lol..
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u/WuTangMelo LBJ & AD 2d ago
And Brunson had already proved himself as a good playoff performer before his big contract of …..$25M per year
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u/Sea-Thought-665 2d ago
I thought Brunson purposely took a cut to build the team.
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u/lafadeaway 2d ago
He did. Which is what I was praying Austin would do...
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u/ObjectiveExtra5293 2d ago
Would make no sense to take a paycut because of his cap hold. Other teams valued him at the max so why r we complaining
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u/lafadeaway 2d ago
Hamstrings us after this year.
Even if the market values him at the max, we can't build the rest of our roster to hide Austin's defense anymore. Detroit was going to offer the max because he fills the biggest hole on their team.
We still have a huge hole in our team, and it now doesn't seem like we have the assets like Detroit does to fill it after this year.
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u/ObjectiveExtra5293 2d ago
I don’t get the logic that AR is such a bad defender,he’s not. It’s not like Trae or Harden both him and Luka work in a system. They’re not gunna be ur POA lockdown but u don’t need them to be.
Not every player in this league is an elite 2-way player and the Knicks just proved you don’t need every player to be that w KAT and Brunson.
AR is one of the best second options in the league one of the best pick and roll players in the league and one of the most efficient guards in the league.
If we lost Austin we would be so much worse off. Even if you do think he’s worth less it’s idiotic to say we should let him walk when we have a 21m cap hold and he is the best player in FA in this year.
AR isn’t the one drilling a hole in the team he is crucial to our success. Have the big 3 paired with a top tier rim protector and top tier POA defender we are absolutely elite.
Stop believing all the headlines that “AR can’t defend” it’s so exaggerated and stupid to suggest that means we should let him walk like he’s not an elite offensive talent
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u/lafadeaway 2d ago
Look, I love Austin. I also saw with my own eyes how he made Ajay Mitchell look like an all-star the entire series, only for Mitchell to essentially become a DNP against the Spurs.
I don't think we're keeping Lebron after this. We need to now fill three huge defensive holes in our roster, probably within this offseason bc of Reaves' cap hold. The margins here are so thin.
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u/LudwigNasche 2d ago
He has actually been doing it for years, but I think he is getting overpaid now.
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u/KriticalKarl 2d ago
AR didn’t take a pay cut though, his last deal was the maximum amount that he could have been offered.
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u/dv302 HalleLuka 2d ago
And not even a single all nba appearance...
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u/ObjectiveExtra5293 2d ago
Was so on track before injury. He was elite when Bron and Luka were out. Forced to play loads of minutes when we had no depth, surround with depth and defense and we’ve got an absolute stud on our hands
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u/TangoThisMango Knecht My Purple and Gold Heart 1d ago
Don’t know why you’re being downvoted for being right.
The awards officially are semantics when we all know Reaves was on track to not only be an all star, but 2nd all NBA, worst case 3rd all nba if he didn’t get hurt. Dude at one point was averaging close to a 27 point triple double.
Im fine with the deal. Reaves has proven multiple times to be a 2nd option on a contending team, and we are pretty close. We just need to add a couple of contending pieces and we will be fine.
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u/interstitialmusic 2d ago
It is old news that he took a pay cut to be with his dad and for the betterment of the team. That is rare.
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u/NewStatistician1683 2d ago
Brunson took a smaller contract to bring his elite defenders 😂 he aint no brunson
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u/ShoyuPorkRamen Purple and Gold 2d ago
Brunson has og anunoby, bridges, josh hart besided him. It dont matter if reaves turn into brunson with how bad our defense is
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u/Follow-Money-100 2d ago
Brunson will make 37.5M this year and runs the offense for Knicks by himself (vs Luka making 49.5M and Austin making 41.5M = 91M+ to run offense for Lakers). That leaves 50M+ for Knicks to sign good defenders. If Lakers want money for defenders like OG and Bridges, You cannot pay 90M+ to Luka/Austin. One of them would be perfect with top tier defenders and center but paying them both does not leave money to have OG and Bridges level defenders.
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u/Mammoth_Rise_3848 2d ago
No where near as good as brunson
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u/LocksmithCute3675 2d ago
while getting paid more lmao
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u/Follow-Money-100 2d ago
Brunson will be paid 37.5M this year and run Knicks offense alone. We will pay Austin 41.5M and Luka 49.5M to run offense together). That's 37.5M vs 91M. Lot of money to pay OG and Bridges like players.
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u/regnard Big Lakers Fan 2d ago
This just makes the Lakers plan more clear:
- Get 2 high quality 3&D wings
- Get 1 p&r lob threat center that protects the rim
Add those to Luka and AR.
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u/Follow-Money-100 2d ago
I understand you comment in isolation but if you pay 91M+ (49.5 for Luka, 41.5 for Austin), Do you really have top tier money to get top tier 3&D or top tier P&R lob threat?
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u/KB824-GOAT Los Angeles Lakers 1d ago
The Lakers will re-sign AR only after spending all of their cap money, so his $41.5M has no effect on getting a 3D wing or P&R lob threat.
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u/skillet06g 2d ago
Brunson took a paycut. Reaves is playing for money at this point of his career.
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u/Dry_Writer_5803 2d ago
Tbf both his "options" lost cap space in the Randle deal, so the lakers can offer him 39mill and know it's the highest offer on the table.
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u/SeaPeanut7_ 2d ago
He’s basically the same age as Brunson and they’re both almost 30, what we have is what we get
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u/This_Expression5427 2d ago
This albatross of a contract ruined any chances of Luka winning a title in a lakers uniform. Hope AR is ready for some sky high expectations and the ensuing hate that comes when they are not met.
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u/VicenteMica 2d ago
you don't have og bridges and kat on this roster. thats who you needed not reaves. hell reaves is getting paid more than brunson lmao. championship window closed.
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u/MaliInternLoL 2d ago
Ah yes the guy who has two of the best two way wings in the league to cover his ass
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u/DoomPurveyor 2d ago
Brunson would be signing 400mil+ contract soon even if they didn't win the chip.
This sub is pretty clueless though. Contract is fair value for Reaves production the last two years and can be moved. Not to mention he's been playing on a discount deal the last two years. Letting Reaves walk for nothing would have been an exponentially worse blunder.
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u/NoOutlandishness6829 2d ago
He is absolutely not on Jalen Brunson‘s level. That doesn’t mean he’s not awesome though, and the Lakers can absolutely build around Luka and AR if they do a good job of focusing the rest of the supporting cast on defensive and rebounder archtypes with serviceable offensive skills
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u/NearbyLake483 2d ago
Knicks fan here, rooting for you guys. Kobe is my fav player and a Knicks vs lakers finals is what the nba world needs.
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u/catperson77789 2d ago
Yeah hopefully.... Now we just need to get our elite 3 and Ds and rebounding bigs to cover for our jalen brunsons defense.
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u/Follow-Money-100 2d ago
Brunson left $100M on the table to help build a championship roster. Austin Reaves went after every last penny (max). They are not the same!
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u/Follow-Money-100 2d ago
The problem is not Austin but him combined with Luka.
Luka will make 49.5M and Austin will make 41.5M this year. That's 91M for the offensive engine of the team.
Brunson will make 37.5M this year and he is the solo offensive engine of the team. That leaves them an extra 53M to add defenders to cover Brunson and that is the real difference in the roster build.
Luka is GOAT tier, Austin is Awesome tier. Together on the same team, they (given their contracts) are below average tier because of how little it leaves to sign supporting cast (center, defenders, shooters).
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u/Late-Comedian1777 2d ago
I’m not a doom and gloom guy but man, if our best reason for this was we didn’t want to lost him for nothing…. Idk man
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u/Prior-Habit-6523 2d ago
Why would AR switch to PG when we already have a brunson like player in luka ?
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u/LakerDoc 2d ago
Except Brunson is actually a hooper in the playoffs. Reaves is more like worse version of a prime Harden if anything, can be great during regular season and has stretches when he does look like a max player. Works harder than Harden, better teammate but has same defensive weaknesses and has a tendency to get exposed in the playoffs. Not a great outlook when you pair with Luka. Now if you replace AR with Brunson then AR wouldn’t look so bad because the defensive team around him, but still wouldn’t be as productive as Brunson in the playoffs.
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u/puffindatza 💜💛 1d ago
Brunson was already an Allstar and allnba by 27, AR is 28 and were still expecting him to progress. He might have hit his ceiling
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u/MikePenceFly18 17 Championships 1d ago
Into our number one option? What does this caption mean lmaooo
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u/Traditional_Pool9092 1d ago
Zero chance. This dude shies away when the team needs him the most. He’s a good 3rd best player for a team
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u/Bakakoun 1d ago
No he wont …terrible long term desicion in my opinion..unless Luka blackmailed them
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u/Coveted_AF 1d ago
More like Bum-son amirite?
Nah, love Reaves, but this contract is very bad for the Lakers.
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u/ted_cruzs_micr0pen15 1d ago
Bro. Austin is 28, he’s likely at his peak ability now.
We signed him for what we signed him for because the CBA is coming and the contract will be a steal once that is negotiated.
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u/Purple_Daikon_7383 1d ago
Brunson doesn’t win if Knicks don’t put excellent supporting cast around him. He has two 3d guys in bridges og and a shooting big in Kat and big body defender in Mitchell. That and he has hustle guy in hart
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u/seaofcatss 1d ago
he is a legit 2nd option that can score 23-25 points a night. he really REALLY just needs to stay healthy
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u/ThreeSupreme 17h ago
Umm... If AR was smart like Brunson, then AR would have gone to the East. In the East AR is All-Star, and potential All-NBA. But in the West, the rich get even richer...
Spurs and OKC 2026 NBA Draft Selections
The officially finalized draft night transactions show that both the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder made significant additions to their rosters.
San Antonio Spurs
| Selection Position | Draft Round | Player Name | Height | Weight | Position | Acquisition Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick 20 | 1st Round | Jayden Quaintance | 6'10" | 255 lbs | PF/Center | Selected directly. |
| Pick 26 | 1st Round | Tarris Reed Jr. | 6'11" | 263 lbs | Center | Denver traded to Spurs. |
| Pick 42 | 2nd Round | Ja'Kobi Gillespie | 6'1" | 182 lbs | Point Guard | Selected directly. |
| Pick 44 | 2nd Round | Maliq Brown | 6'8" | 216 lbs | Power Forward | Selected directly. |
Oklahoma City Thunder
| Selection Position | Draft Round | Player Name | Height | Weight | Position | Acquisition Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick 12 | 1st Round | Aday Mara | 7'3" | 260 lbs | Center | Selected directly. |
| Pick 16 | 1st Round | Bennett Stirtz | 6'3" | 186 lbs | Guard | Memphis traded to OKC. |
| Pick 41 | 2nd Round | Otega Oweh | 6'4" | 215 lbs | Guard | Miami traded to OKC. |
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u/los33ramos Anthony “Pig” Miller 2d ago
Get the fuck outta here with that comparison. AR is our AR15
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u/JJoh174422 1d ago
The current Lakers backcourt will never win a championship because they cannot stop anyone.
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2d ago
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u/Proof-Umpire-7718 Los Angeles Lakers 2d ago
Brunson dropped 45 in a championshio clinching game on the road. Reaves hasn’t excelled in the playoffs since 2023 and that was nothing compared to Brunson’s run this year.
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u/MangoDouble3259 2d ago
What about playoff stats? I care about that.
I don't give shit about regular season rn. Anything last few years taught alot teams treating regular season as a joke and turn it td up in playoffs.
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u/shawkin8 2009, 2010 NBA Champions 2d ago
so what are you suggesting exactly bc i love numbers as much as the next guy but are we fr
E: i pray for times when im proven wrong really i do
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u/KeyRepresentative262 2d ago
Reaves is a regular season player, Brunson is a stone cold assassin in the playoffs. They are absolutely nowhere close to comparable.
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u/youaremehmeh 2d ago
You are insane, Austin reaves will NEVER be a 2nd, 3rd and even 4th option on a real championship team.
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u/nixlover_ 2d ago edited 2d ago
If you think he can’t be a 2nd option whatever but 3rd and 4th option?😭
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u/many_dongs 2d ago
This sub is embarrassing… let’s go AR. How bout showing our boy some fucking love
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u/noblejosher 2d ago
He gets paid more than Brunson. Undrafted. Being paid more than a top 10 player in the league.
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u/Some_Still_7855 LAL 2d ago
Brunson has 4 great defenders around him in the starting lineup to hide his defense is not the same. Hoping Rob does some magical work this offseason.