The Los Angeles Lakers made a big-time move this summer when they re-signed Austin Reaves to a new contract. It was merely one in a long string of moves the Lakers made this offseason in an attempt to improve their roster. Then, on Thursday afternoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers inked James Harden to a new, three-year contract worth roughly $97 million. That contract makes Reaves’ look even better.
Obviously, Harden is a quality player. A great playmaker with plenty of experience in the NBA. But Reaves is much younger, and he’s a much better fit with the Lakers than Harden is with the Cavaliers. So, getting Reaves for just over $10 million more than Harden is great for the Lakers. It’s a much better contract.
LA did a great job bringing Reaves back on the contract that they did. It may be more than they were originally expected to pay, but it’s still a solid deal.
Austin Reaves' contract is much better than James Harden's
From the moment he stepped foot on the court for the Lakers, Reaves has been an impactful player. He’s worked his way up from a two-way deal, to a first contract, to a massive contract.
Now, he’s going to have to keep proving himself to the Lakers and the rest of the league, because he’s no longer going to be on a “steal of a contract.” However, his new deal is still a good one.
Reaves is going to be under contract for four more seasons, though he’ll have a player option in the final year of his deal. And in Year 1, Reaves will be making $41.2 million.
Last year, his numbers proved worthy of those stats. And while Harden’s numbers were worthy of the money he got, there are a lot of factors that go into things, all pointing toward Reaves’ contract being much better.
First and foremost, Reaves is only 28 years old. Meanwhile, Harden is 36. That’s an eight-year age difference, meaning Reaves is just entering the prime of his career, and Harden is probably already on the wrong side of his.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have plenty of space under the second apron. Over $20 million of wiggle room. Harden’s extension pushes the Cavs right up against that mark, which is one they undoubtedly want to avoid going over.
Add in the fact that Harden has been a notable playoff dropper throughout the course of his career, and Reaves’ deal seems way more worth it than the Cavs’ new extension.
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