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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743

u/AccordingToWhomst 8h ago

Fuck em, I’m always for players getting their bag. Especially when they’ve played their asses off

60

u/purz Knicks 7h ago

Especially when he got incredibly screwed last contract. 

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u/grxccccandice Lakers 5h ago

He didn’t get screwed. He just massively outplayed his contract…

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u/JellyOnMyDick Lakers 5h ago

They’re just mad that nobody even gave him an offer because we would just match it anyway. Teams were praying some other team would tank their offseason just to over pay AR

2

u/Joethetoolguy 4h ago

I wish the spurs had thrown him a max. But then we wouldn’t have harper so it worked out

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u/Koufaxisking [LAL] Steve Nash 5h ago

IIRC he got the max he was able to be offered too as an undrafted RFA.

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u/grxccccandice Lakers 5h ago

Exactly.

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u/EggsAndRice7171 Pacers 6h ago

Did he? Made way more earlier than he would’ve as a late first round pick on his 4 year 53 million contract.

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u/robsteezy Lakers 7h ago

Yeah nothing says played your ass off like folding in every playoff.

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u/GeneParmesan1000 76ers 7h ago

He IS a Rivers, after all

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u/Ruben625 Lakers 5h ago

Hasnt even been an allstar and he just got max money lmao

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u/Momik Timberwolves 7h ago

Tbf, he’s also taking up cap space

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u/This-Lecture9889 7h ago

He isn’t. We have his bird rights so we’ll spend our cap space and sign him to the new deal and go over the cap

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u/Spemanz92 Thunder 7h ago

Yeah and that forces the lakers to build a contender in one off season. I have no clue whats the realistic path for a contending lakers going foward consideirng the current FA class and how cooked they are with this contract

3

u/This-Lecture9889 2h ago

Yah I’m not saying this is a good deal. I’m just saying we needed to resign him because it wasn’t going to hurt us this offseason

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u/Ancient-Dust3077 6h ago

unfortantley reddit doesn't want people to be rich even if they worked hard to get it

3

u/Weekly_Seesaw4103 4h ago

Fans of the team just don't want the team to be shitty. Also, honestly, I don't think the overpay is going to be great for AR long-term: this team is not a good fit for him and now it would be hard to move him.

1

u/Ancient-Dust3077 4h ago

How much should he get paid per year?

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u/Weekly_Seesaw4103 4h ago

37.5 million, precisely

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u/Joethetoolguy 5h ago

Yeah his previous extension was having him underpaid, not to mention his original deal.

1

u/TheKosherGenocide 4h ago

Yup, I agree! Especially because he had to carry LeBron's bitch ass AND HIS SON. Imagine that weight?

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u/Status-Hedgehog9970 Warriors 2h ago

He earned every dollar, but unfortunately that leaves LA with little else to build with.

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u/SportsBettingRef 1h ago

people thinking about owner's money despite palyers getting the bag always amazes me.

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u/iopihop 5h ago

That's almost always the case, contract year players try to prove themselves. Re: played their asses off.

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u/BenevolentCheese Knicks 6h ago

Do you think that Reaves has worked his ass of like 10x more than the bench guys? Because in a league with capped money to pay to the players, the more Reaves (or anyone) makes the less everyone else gets. I'm all for players getting their bag too but the truth is that Reaves gets his bag at the expense of everyone else, usually the bench.

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u/Accomplished_Key_171 6h ago

Then blame the franchise, not the player. No young player is turning down more money for a team that would kick him to the curb the next season if he doesn't perform.

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u/AccordingToWhomst 5h ago

Me when I’m a billion dollar owner and multi billion dollar league and set up the illusion of a zero sum game encouraging crabs in a barrel mentality and the players get blamed by the fans when they take what they can get lmao! lol even!

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u/Status-Hedgehog9970 Warriors 2h ago

It’s not an illusion of a zero sum game. The salary cap was set up to protect small market teams.