Both Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly looking to hammer a long-term commitment with each other.
As told by Mike Scotto of HoopsHype, Reaves is looking to stay in Los Angeles for more years to come, with an intent of re-signing a much bigger raise in his contract.
Meanwhile, it looks mutually the same on the part of the Lakers, wherein sources said that they desire to have him moving forward.
“From everything I’ve gathered, he’d like to stay in LA and get a pay raise, and the Lakers would like to keep him,” as detailed by Scotto.
The Lakers had a turbulent 2021-2022 campaign etched by injuries and rotational problems, but they found a silver lining in the form of Reaves himself.
Reaves, 24, went undrafted in the 2021 Draft, but was then signed by the Lakers on a two-way deal. His solid performance in last year’s Summer League outing earned him a standard NBA contract for worth $2.4 million for two years
The Oklahoma Sooners product was serviceable in his first year in the league for the purple and gold, applying 7.3 points average and added by 3.2 boards and 1.8 assists in 23.2 minutes of play. He also managed to make it to the crack within the team’s starting lineup for 19 games out of his 61 personal occasions.
Reaves primarily served as an off-ball handler who can play defense, dish out assists and shoot the ball well from deep, earning recognition amongst Lakers faithful as a new fan-favorite. Last week, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that he is now already “penciled in” as part of L.A.’s starting and closing lineup – a testament of his solid all-around play.
Now approaching the final year of his contract, it is yet to be seen on how the Lakers will push and make an effort to regain him. A young, energetic guy like Reaves holds good value on the veteran-laden Lakers, and he certainly deserves a rightful amount for his past and future contributions of carrying the dirty work.
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