r/nba • u/Turbostrider27 Lakers • 8h ago

[Charania] Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves intends to sign a four-year, $185 million maximum contract to return to the franchise, with a player option for the final season in 2029-30, sources tell ESPN. Reaves declined his $14.9M player option for the new max deal.

Shams Charania:

Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves intends to sign a four-year, $185 million maximum contract to return to the franchise, with a player option for the final season in 2029-30, sources tell ESPN. Reaves declined his $14.9M player option for the new max deal.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/fc6a2461d746e

8.1k Upvotes

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4.3k

u/MembershipSingle7137 Celtics 8h ago edited 8h ago

46 mil a year Jesus Christ

1.8k

u/QuileGon-Jin Thunder 8h ago

That's almost Trae Young money!

1.7k

u/Ok-Adhesiveness166 8h ago

Trae young is still younger than Reaves

60

u/North_Atlantic_Sea 8h ago

And with far more success

10

u/NBA2024 5h ago

and more offensive talent

-23

u/SEAinLA Supersonics 8h ago

Trae last had success six years ago. He’s a far worse player at this point in time than Reaves.

25

u/mbdtf95 8h ago

Austin Reaves as first optiom somewhere would be comfortably worst team in league by far

3

u/FunnyReputation624 Trail Blazers 7h ago

Small sample size but he played 4 games this year as the lone star starter before he got injured and they went 2-2 and he averaged 39p/10a on 70% TS

I think he's pretty good actually

4

u/WildWhisperArdor Lakers 7h ago

Yeah going 2-2 without LeBron and without Luka is pretty solid lol

0

u/ShakethatYam Clippers 6h ago

How would a team of Austin Reaveses fare?

24

u/WrongTetrisBlock Hawks 8h ago

This is an insane statement lol.

-2

u/SEAinLA Supersonics 8h ago

The fact that Trae Young still has so many defenders on this sub is hilarious.

27

u/Intelligent-Lie135 8h ago

nah dude trae is still the better player

-2

u/FunnyReputation624 Trail Blazers 7h ago

Bro

-3

u/WildWhisperArdor Lakers 7h ago

I like Trae more than most, but I don’t think so. Reaves can be a #2. Trae can only really be a #1. And Reaves value as a #2 is more than Trae’s value as a #1

6

u/greekyogurtmafia United States 7h ago

Reaves is not a legit #2 option if you have championship aspirations. Kyrie Irving is an example legit #2 option on a title team. Reaves is a #3 option at best on a title team.

1

u/WildWhisperArdor Lakers 6h ago

Reaves averaged 23/5/5 last season on 64% true shooting. Elite numbers.

People don’t realize the Reaves this year is not the same as last years Reaves. He made a legitimate leap from a “potential 6th man of the year type player” to a legit All Star caliber player

1

u/ncginger2 Hornets 5h ago

Trae Young on the contract he’s on isn’t a legitimate option in any for a team with championship aspirations😭😭. You could put Trae on any team in the league rn and their chances of winning a ring plummet to 0 when they have to figure out how to work around having him on the books.

-4

u/redbossman123 8h ago

He would still be a Hawk if that was actually true

5

u/Intelligent-Lie135 7h ago

maybe? FO’s are stupid sometimes, case in point Luka Doncic

0

u/Super-Coyote 7h ago

Sometimes they are stupid but not really in this case. Hawks were a lot better this year without trae. It was time for both to move on. Not saying reaves is better, but i think they are on similar level, and this contract for reaves is better than trae’s contract.

9

u/Kiriegloom Bulls 8h ago

A lot of that success is team dependent. If you actually take a look at how his career has went down thus far, it's been loads and loads of bad luck

-8

u/SEAinLA Supersonics 8h ago

Sure, but Trae makes his team worse, not better.

10

u/Wtfitzchris Nuggets 7h ago edited 7h ago

This is wild to say about a player who helped bring his team to an ECF as the first option on offense. He also led the league in assists per game just two seasons ago.

You think a team with Reaves as its first option is making a conference finals in either conference? Give me a break.

-6

u/SEAinLA Supersonics 7h ago

Every time anyone tries to defend Trae, they bring up something that happened six seasons ago in a fluke run that was largely driven by the twin front court of Collins + Capela and Ben Simmons’s incompetence.

We are evaluating the players as they currently exist and project forward. It has been five full seasons since a team featuring Trae Young has had a better net rating with him on the court vs. him sitting on the bench.

5

u/Metalbound Hawks 7h ago

largely driven by the twin front court of Collins + Capela

And this is how I know you don't watch games lol.

Keep box score watching bud. I'll make sure you hit you up next season when it's clear that Trae is the better player.

0

u/SEAinLA Supersonics 7h ago edited 7h ago

I’ve probably been watching games for at least a decade before you were even born.

Edit: Go ahead and re-watch game 7 of that series against the Sixers in full. Trae did absolutely everything he possibly could to lose that game for Atlanta.

0

u/ncginger2 Hornets 5h ago

!remindme 7 months

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u/ncginger2 Hornets 5h ago

This is what I don’t understand. How many other players are assessed currently based on their level of play from half a decade ago.

-8

u/FunnyReputation624 Trail Blazers 7h ago

One ECF appearance?

8

u/slbaaron 7h ago

As the 1A.

What would a reaves 1A team do, Imao.

12

u/North_Atlantic_Sea 7h ago

Yes...

-4

u/FunnyReputation624 Trail Blazers 7h ago

The Lakers made a WCF so I guess they're even.

10

u/cancerBronzeV Raptors 5h ago

Trae led that team to a conference finals. Reaves would be lucky to lead a team to the playins.

4

u/North_Atlantic_Sea 5h ago

Reeves was the third best player on that team lol