One of the Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest moves this summer was handing Austin Reaves a new and improved contract extension that will keep him with the franchise for at least through the 2029-30 season.
The guard agreed to a $180 million deal, and it was well deserved following his performances in the last couple of years at least.
According to Lakers journalist Jovan Buha, the new deal is a culmination of years of the franchise having faith in Reaves, who has turned out to be the next core star behind Luka Doncic.
“They kept Austin out of the Luka trade,” Buha said. “They’ve had opportunities (to acquire) Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine, De’Aaron Fox, there’s been all these guys through the years — Trae Young — where the Lakers could have potentially traded for an All-Star level player. Were they willing to give up Austin Reaves, and they’ve continually said no.”
Fox is one of the more interesting names that may have happened because the Lakers were one of the speculated landing spots for the All-Star guard when it was clear that he would leave the Sacramento Kings.
Lakers-D’Aaron Fox Trade Could Have Happened
Fox was later traded to the San Antonio Spurs during the 2024-25 season, and the Lakers stuck with Reaves, who enjoyed a career-high, All-Star-caliber year.
At the end of the season, there were some other speculations as big names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown were on the market at various points. Those two realistically could have been a situation to move Reaves but the Lakers were not favorites in both sweepstakes.
“The bar to trade Austin is high,” Buha added. “On top of that, they just re-signed him. My continued understanding of where they’re at with Austin is, if they trade Austin, it’s to level up. For example … guys who are clear top 20 if not potentially top 15 level guys who you think are potentially better than Austin.”
Fox was a legitimate option if a move had happened last summer. He was one of the league’s top-scoring guards despite playing for Sacramento and capable of being a reliable second option to Doncic. However, Reaves being already in L.A. has proven to be that option.
It has been quite remarkable how Reaves’ career has unfolded up to this point. He went undrafted in 2021 and has made history as the first undrafted star to earn a max contract.
Lakers Satisfied With Keeping a Hold of Reaves?
Fox has since led the Spurs to the NBA Finals, establishing the team as strong contenders alongside Victor Wembanyama. However, just like Reaves, he was also handed a massive deal but his is way larger at $229 million in four years.
The Lakers may not have agreed to those exact demands but Fox will still have been sitting on a much larger deal than what they gave to Reaves. Not just Fox, most of the names Buha mentioned are all on massive deals and all above $200 million except Murray.
Reaves at the end of the day is turning out to be a much more affordable option for having an All-Star-level secondary star capable of huge production.
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