It was never just about the money with Austin Reaves. Anyone who has been paying attention could have told you as much, but now there is an actual concrete report to confirm that thought. Dave McMenamin's latest write-up for ESPN gave added insight into the situation.
"Sources familiar with Reaves' thinking told ESPN throughout the season that Reaves' contract decision will not come down solely to a dollar figure. There will be various factors, including Reaves' repeated stance that he would like to play his entire career with the Lakers."
What was it that Heath Ledger's Joker said in The Dark Knight? It's not about the money?
Well, to some degree, it certainly is. The Lakers cannot just hit Reaves with a disgraceful low-ball offer and risk losing him for absolutely nothing in free agency. However, anyone who was minimizing this decision to a simple matter of finances just got the reality check that was needed.
The idea of Reaves not milking the Lakers for every dollar should not come as a surprise. The thought of the Lakers star departing for the highest bidder, irrelevant of all other factors, was always silly and has just been made out to look that much more of a joke.
Austin Reaves cares for much more than just the money in his bank account
It was not too long ago that some NBA analysts were floating the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls as leverage points for Reaves to squeeze the Lakers. It was wrong then, and it is even more wrong now after the new intel.
Reaves was caught talking about how grateful he was to play with Luka Doncic and LeBron James before the 2025-26 season. Why? Because that put him in a winning situation.
In that same statement, Reaves openly discussed his disdain for an environment in which he would just be chucking shots and getting numbers on a bad team. Anyone who kept that in mind throughout the year would have quickly chuckled at the idea of the Nets being the main competition in free agency.
To that point, that is exactly where the Lakers are today. Other teams like the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks would face a challenge to create the added cap room for Reaves. The Nets are the only team readily positioned and notably interested in acquiring his services.
Whoever has the sales pitch on the 20-62 Nets turning into a winning environment, let's hear it.
In all seriousness, the Lakers have always held the best ability to pay Reaves and give him a set-up he likes. Couple that with the clear desire to remain in Los Angeles, as repeated by McMenamin in his report, and this free agency saga should be a formality.
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