Austin Reaves got his big payday from the Lakers, who forked over $185 million over the next four years to retain him.
It was always the expectation that Reaves would re-sign with the team. While the numbers on his new contract are high, it seems that if the Lakers weren’t prepared to pay that amount, other teams would be.
On Wednesday morning, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Pistons were legitimately interested in acquiring Reaves had he been available.
In an article by Shams Charania of ESPN, he also discussed the Pistons’ interest in Reaves.
Reaves was expected to receive free agent interest from multiple teams, including the Detroit Pistons, on a maximum-level salary, so the Lakers stepped up on Wednesday to lock in their homegrown talent.
It’s not a surprise that the Pistons might’ve wanted Reaves. Early in this offseason, there were rumblings that the Nets, Pistons and Hawks were interested in him.
For those who watched the Pistons in the playoffs, it was clear that they needed another offensive weapon.
Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris were the only two players on Detroit who could consistently be counted on to score. And that’s a big reason why, despite winning 60 games and being the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference, they were knocked out in the second round by the Cavs.
The Pistons paying Reaves would’ve given them another backcourt player who can not only score but also create for themselves and others. And players who can consistently do that in the playoffs earn top dollars.
The Lakers didn’t risk losing their starting guard by trying to be tough negotiators.
Sure, the numbers on Reaves’ deal are high, but this is a player who averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game last season. He has gotten better every year, and if the Lakers didn’t like the idea of Reaves at the max, the Pistons or another team would likely try to make it happen.
LA already did the hard part: finding an undrafted talent like Reaves and developing him into a top player. Really, paying the tab at the end is the easy part.
Now, the Lakers have their starting backcourt secured and don’t have to worry about another team reaping the benefits of the work they put into Reaves.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
