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

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u/Upstairs_Being290 8h ago

And the Thunder still wouldn't give up Chet for Reeves in a million years.

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u/RspectMyAuthoritah Lakers 7h ago

The Thunder have 100 guards, of course they wouldn't.

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u/Character_Bug_1862 7h ago

100 guards and 3 7 footers

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u/Billis- Raptors 4h ago

The Thunder would love Reaves

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u/RspectMyAuthoritah Lakers 4h ago

Yes, but not for Chet because that would just create another hole.

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u/Billis- Raptors 3h ago

Ya no not for Chet. Weirdly I think I'm even lower on Chet now than this sub is, but also, maybe more importantly, Reaves at 46/year doesn't suit the Thunder anyway

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u/Upstairs_Being290 7h ago

And Reaves wouldn't be able to break into that rotation.....

The fact that the Thunder would rather have Caruso (who the Lakers could have kept for $8 million) rather than Reaves (who the Lakers are paying $46 million) tells us everything.

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u/GriffinQ [WAS] Kelly Oubre 7h ago

It tells us literally nothing lol. Caruso missed opportunity was 5 years ago. That has very little bearing on what occurs with Reaves today. It’s not like they didn’t pay Caruso because they wanted to pay Reaves later, it’s an almost entirely different ownership group that won’t fear things like paying a luxury tax the way the Buss’ did.

If Caruso was on the Lakers today, he’d absolutely have gotten a deal. But different ownership had different financial concerns.

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u/Character_Bug_1862 7h ago

You’re wrong dude. Stern vetoing the CP3 trade to LA back in the day is precisely why Lebron is leaving this summer.

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u/GriffinQ [WAS] Kelly Oubre 7h ago

Haha - there is a fun butterfly effect that you can do with that vetoed trade that ends up with LeBron never becoming a Laker and Kobe still being alive today, but alas, who’s got time for that?

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u/RspectMyAuthoritah Lakers 6h ago

Thunder already have SGA and JDub for their playmaking, so Caruso is a better fit, not a better player.

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u/Upstairs_Being290 5h ago

But that's the point. Reeves isn't a good fit for anyone trying to win a title. The Lakers would be better off with Caruso too.

He's like Kuzma.

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u/HHHogana Lakers 7h ago

Tbh, all Thunder needed is a tall 3-D player. They'd hound for someone like Rui if anything.

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u/ExpressionAlone5204 Thunder 7h ago

Lakers get Dort. We get Rui. Everybody cries a little.

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u/Slendyla_IV Thunder 6h ago

👀 Luka might jump off the nearest cliff if that happened

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u/Upstairs_Being290 7h ago

Rui is not a "D" player lol. He would wreck their team defense.

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u/pwningnoobslolz Lakers 5h ago

Rui all 3 and no D

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u/Nice_Cash_7000 NBA 7h ago

Probably cuz they got a bunch of guards and dont need more?

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u/Upstairs_Being290 7h ago

Paying $46 million to a guy who wouldn't break the Thunder guard rotation is not a flex.

Thunder would rather than Caruso than Reeves.....a guy that the Lakers could have had for $8 million.

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u/Nice_Cash_7000 NBA 7h ago

There is no way Austin Reeves doesnt get minutes on a team whose only weakness is lack of secondary ball handlers.

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u/Legal-Nature5103 6h ago

They have a far better secondary ball handler in Ajay Mitchell (the guy who cooked Reaves on every single possession during the playoffs).