All articles tagged with #austin reaves
Lakers guard Austin Reaves reportedly trimmed his four-year deal to about $180 million to give the team more cap flexibility, while spending Labor Day weekend on a boat with his girlfriend Jenna Barber in Mexico. The undrafted standout averaged 23 points last season and is being positioned as a leadership figure for a Lakers squad moving forward without LeBron James.
Austin Reaves sacrificed part of his raise by settling for $180M over four years instead of $185M, freeing cap space for a non-taxpayer midlevel in 2027. That flexibility could help the Lakers bring back Max Christie, who has an $8.9M player option for 2027-28 and has shown growing 3-and-D value, making a reunion plausible if the Mavericks don’t extend him.
Austin Reaves agreed to restructuring his four-year, $185 million deal with the Lakers, taking less money to preserve cap space for next summer’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception and potential roster upgrades, keeping LA flexible while contending.
Austin Reaves shared his first text to LeBron James after James announced he’d leave the Lakers, joking that he was having a great day on the golf course until LeBron ruined it. Reaves had just signed a $185 million extension with Los Angeles and said there’s nothing but love and respect for James, hoping to catch him on the golf course when he visits.
Austin Reaves publicly thanked LeBron James on Instagram after James told the Lakers he won’t return for the 2026-27 season, ending eight years together. Reaves had just signed a four-year, $185 million extension with L.A., while James explores multiple potential destinations with interest from teams like the Warriors, Cavaliers, Heat, Timberwolves and Nuggets, per his agent Rich Paul.
The Lakers secured undrafted guard Austin Reaves with a $185 million max contract after a tense negotiation: initial offers around $30 million per year were raised to more than $45 million per year within 24 hours to keep him from rivals like Detroit, highlighting strong market demand and a deliberately tough front-office stance.
The Lakers locked in Austin Reaves with a four-year, $185 million contract, pairing him with Luka Doncic as a hopeful championship core. The move doesn’t derail ongoing talks to bring back LeBron James, who is expected to play at least one more season but may need a pay cut to fit a competitive roster. Reaves’ $20.9 million cap hold preserves salary-cap flexibility for offseason moves, while Lakers’ long-term plans still center on whether James will accept a new deal and how a potential LeBron reunion alongside Reaves and Doncic could shape the team’s path.”,
Austin Reaves signed a four-year, $185 million extension with the Lakers after a tense free-agent period, staying in L.A. and positioning himself as a core piece alongside Luka Dončić. The deal came amid interest from the Pistons and Nets; Reaves’ strong 2025-26 season (23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists in 51 games) underscored his value, and the Lakers aim to build a championship-contending roster with cap space to add more talent around him and Dončić.
The Los Angeles Lakers are keeping their core intact by agreeing to a four-year, $185 million contract for Austin Reaves, with the final season at a player option after he declined a $14.9 million option. Reaves has emerged as a key scorer and playmaker for LA, helping the team reach the playoffs despite injuries and signaling a continued championship pursuit.
Austin Reaves signs a four-year, $185 million max contract with the Lakers, including a final-season player option, making him the highest-paid undrafted free agent in NBA history. The deal uses cap mechanics that leave the Lakers with roughly $48 million in space this offseason and a ~$21 million cap hold until signing, so it won’t derail their plans but tightens long-term flexibility and reshapes the guard market for other teams.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves is expected to decline his 2026/27 option and enter unrestricted free agency, with reps likely pursuing a max deal. Rival cap-space teams such as the Bulls or Nets could drive his value toward a five-year max (near $239M), though some estimates point to around $200M; the Lakers could hold leverage if bidding is tepid. Reaves has indicated a desire to stay in L.A. if the terms make sense, and his strong 2025/26 production (23.3 PPG on efficient shooting) underpins the market despite health misses.
Austin Reaves is expected to pursue the max contract in free agency—five years, $241 million with the Lakers or four years, $178 million with teams like Chicago or Brooklyn—despite injuries last season, as the Lakers weigh offers while LeBron James hits free agency and Deandre Ayton's option adds to their summer questions after a 53-29 campaign.
Despite major injuries to LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves at various points, the Lakers finished 53-29 (their best since 2010-11), swept the first round, and were eliminated by the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. The season earns an overall A-: Doncic led the league in scoring, LeBron adapted through multiple roles, Reaves posted a career year, and players like Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes provided key contributions, with head coach JJ Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka earning praise for navigating a challenging campaign.
At his season-ending press conference, Lakers president Rob Pelinka said LeBron James would be welcome to re-sign if he chooses free agency, and expressed strong interest in keeping Austin Reaves; coach JJ Redick emphasized preserving a LeBron–Reaves–Doncic core while boosting defense and depth. Pelinka also outlined a plan to retrofit the roster around Luka Doncic’s needs and said the team will hire two new assistant general managers to strengthen pro/draft scouting, player development, analytics, and salary-cap strategy.
At Lakers exit interviews, the team signaled it wants LeBron James and Austin Reaves to return next season to team up with Luka Dončić, with James weighing whether to play another year or retire and Reaves opting out of his $14.8 million contract; Pelinka said the organization intends to honor James and keep Reaves, while continuing to build around Dončić, who led the league in scoring and signed a three-year, $165 million extension last summer.