Austin Reaves has his long-term future locked in with the Los Angeles Lakers, but his attention has already shifted to the bigger prize.
The guard recently agreed to a four-year, $185 million maximum contract to remain in Los Angeles, ensuring he and Luka Doncic will continue leading the Lakers’ backcourt for the foreseeable future. Rather than focusing on the financial reward, Reaves made it clear that bringing another championship to the franchise is what matters most, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.
“It’s going to be fun. And like I said, winning a championship is the main goal,” Reaves said. “And I feel like, you know, with me and Luka, that’s a great starting piece to compete. And when we put a roster together that can go compete, I feel like winning a championship will basically solidify everything that I want and everything that the Lakers want.
“And it kind of meets the common goal of why they gave me the money they did.”
The new deal reportedly begins with a $41.2 million salary, a figure that immediately sparked debate around the league about whether Reaves is worth a maximum contract.
With that salary comes heightened expectations, and the Lakers will now expect the former undrafted guard to continue developing into one of the NBA’s premier backcourt players.
Los Angeles also wasted little time improving the roster around its stars.
The front office added center Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz before strengthening its depth through the additions of Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton.
Those moves came after the Lakers reportedly explored contingency plans in case Reaves departed in free agency. Los Angeles held discussions with the Miami Heat involving Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware before Reaves agreed to his new contract.
Ultimately, those conversations became unnecessary once Reaves committed to staying in Los Angeles.
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