Austin Reaves has been plotting to be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers since before the 2021 NBA Draft. He knew that, if he didn’t hear his name called by a certain point, he just wanted to enter free agency. That’s exactly what happened, and this summer, the Lakers have a chance to make that dream pay off all over again.
Reaves’ decision to pinpoint the Lakers as his top landing spot has already worked out. He earned a nice first payday in LA, and he’s been one of their best players for a couple of years now. But this summer, he could earn a max contract, and that would be the ultimate payoff to the decision he and his agent made prior to the draft.
He knew what he wanted, he got it, and now, he’s going to make millions.
Austin Reaves' Lakers dream is going to pay off all over again with max contract
The Lakers got bounced in the second round by the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. But now, they have a chance to build around Luka Doncic this summer, and Reaves will be a crucial piece of the puzzle.
He knew that the Lakers were one of his top landing spots during the draft, and he even turned down some teams that may have picked him. Reaves wanted to play in LA.
“My agents, they set up a plan. And the plan was that we knew L.A. had a two-way open on draft night and knew it was a situation to where I could possibly step in and get a contract, because I don’t know how many guys were under contract at that time. There were a lot of free agents, a lot of signing to be done.
“We knew that going in, and [Detroit] called in at 42, they came up to me. And, you know, it’s every kids’ dream to hear their name called on draft night, and I’m no different. It came down to sticking to a plan and that’s what we did. It sucked to not hear my name called, but obviously putting ourselves in a good position was much more important.”
Reaves could have heard his name called by the Detroit Pistons. But he didn’t. Because his plan was to enter free agency and sign wherever he wanted. And the Lakers were at the top of that plan.
Now more than ever, that plan looks genius, and Reaves’ dream of playing for the Lakers is about to pay off even more.
Add us as a preferred source on Google