The biggest storyline surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the 2023 offseason was the future of Austin Reaves. Reaves shined on the biggest stage in the NBA Playoffs and he was expected to have many suitors as a restricted free agent.
While the Lakers ultimately had the ability to match any deal that Reaves signed, another NBA team could have really hurt the Lakers by offering Reaves the max he could make. Reaves could have signed a contract of around $100 million that would have carried a cap hit of over $30 million in years three and four for the Lakers.
The Lakers didn’t have to worry about any kind of matching as the team ended up outright signing Reaves to a four-year, $53.8 million contract. This was a massive surprise as it was expected that a team with cap space, like the San Antonio Spurs, would offer Reaves a contract to either sign him or screw over the Lakers.
That did not happen, although Reaves confirmed that he had conversations with the Spurs. With that situation in the rear-view mirror, the Spurs have signed a homegrown player of their own to a big new contract. San Antonio inked guard Devin Vassell to a five-year, $146 million extension on Monday.
San Antonio Spurs G Devin Vassell has agreed on a five-year, $146 million contract extension, Andrew Morrison, Rich Beda and Mitch Nathan of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN. Vassell lands rookie scale extension as part of 2020 Draft class and solidifies himself as a Spurs cornerstone. pic.twitter.com/SUK3Y0ig8T
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 2, 2023
Spurs’ Devin Vassell contract makes Lakers’ Austin Reaves contract look even better
Just so we are clear, the Spurs will be paying Vassell over twice as much on this new extension than Reaves is going to get paid on his current deal. Reaves’ average annual salary is $13.45 million while Vassell’s average annual salary will be $29.2 million.
Vassell is younger than Reaves and he is a solid player. It is not absurd to say that Vassell has more potential to blossom into a true second option on a playoff team. But even then, Reaves proved in the NBA Playoffs and in the FIBA World Cup that he has the potential to do so as well.
As it stands right now, the two players are in a similar ballpark in terms of what they bring to the game. Last season Vassell averaged 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per 36 minutes played. He shot 43.9% from the field, 38.7% from three and 78% from the free-throw line. Reaves averaged 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per 36 minutes played. He shot 52.9% from the field, 39.8% from three and 86.4% from the free-throw line.
Vassell scored more but he also was in a situation where he could be a No. 1 offensive option. Reaves doesn’t have that same luxury as he naturally has to defer to Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Defensively, Reaves has the advantage (at least according to advanced statistics). Vassell posted a -0.9 Defensive Box Plus/Minus last season while Reaves posted a 0.1. A DBPM of zero is considered to be average.
On paper, Vassell does not seem like the type of player that deserves to make nearly $30 million a season and the Spurs are getting dunked on as a result. While the production might not scream $30 million, the Spurs had to spend the money and it makes sense to bring back an in-house guy who they believe in. There is a salary floor, after all, and it is better to commit money to someone like Vassell rather than overpay for mediocre free agents.
But, at the very least, it showcases just how good of a deal the Lakers got on Austin Reaves. If Reaves was drafted by the Spurs instead of Vassell then he probably would have gotten the exact same contract from them this offseason. Instead, he stayed with the Lakers for less than half the cost.