Austin Reaves reacts to notion that he is underpaid by Lakers
Dec 13, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) warms up prior to the game against the Boston Celtics at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Most fans believe the Los Angeles Lakers signed Austin Reaves on a bargain deal. The third-year guard does not see it that way.
Reaves was arguably the Lakers’ third star last season. He averaged 13.0 points on an efficient 52.9% shooting from the field. Reaves increased that to 16.9 points in the playoffs, with several big games in pressure-packed moments.
There was fear amongst the purple and gold faithful that Reaves had played well enough to attract a contract offer beyond the Lakers’ price range. But somehow, Reaves never signed an offer sheet with another team. Instead, the Lakers re-signed him on a team-friendly 4-year deal worth $56 million.
The 25-year-old recently appeared on “The Lowe Post” podcast with Zach Lowe. Reaves was asked about the San Antonio Spurs — a rumored suitor of Reaves — ultimately deciding not to send him a more generous offer. The Lakers guard put things into perspective with his answer (3:44 mark).
“Obviously, I wish that I could’ve got as much money as possible, but like I said: fit and opportunity, here in LA was really what we wanted and really where we wanted to be,” said Reaves.
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“It’s hard to be mad at making $54M. That’s way more money than I ever thought I would make, especially playing basically a kid’s sport for a living.”
Reaves also confirmed that the Lakers were willing to match any offer, even if it meant paying Reaves closer to the $100 million maximum he was eligible to make. In an alternate reality, Reaves becomes the handsomely-paid veteran leader on a San Antonio Spurs squad that has Victor Wembanyama.
However, Reaves has carved out a huge role on a contending Lakers side. The potential postseason glory and established comfort he has with the Lakers could arguably be worth the pay cut.
Of course, a few extra million in Reaves’ pocket probably wouldn’t have hurt.
