The Los Angeles Lakers gave Austin Reaves a max contract this offseason to keep him as Luka Doncic’s co-star, but the rival Celtics clearly see that as a mistake. Brad Stevens, one of the best decision-makers in the NBA, traded Jaylen Brown to avoid paying a high percentage of his cap space to two players. Depth is winning in the modern NBA, which led Stevens to offer this quote about why the Celtics moved on from the five-time All-Star in a seemingly baffling trade.
“The path looked a little bit more challenging with 70 percent of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players.”
The Lakers committed to the build Stevens just denounced. Luka is making 30 percent of the salary cap, and Reaves’ max starts at 25 percent. In 2028, Doncic will vault to 35 percent with Reaves making a projected 26.2 percent. That is getting into that challenging area that Stevens felt the Celtics needed to avoid.
Lakers commit to building around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as Celtics break up star duo
Giving Reaves a max contract was a bold move. He’s never been an All-Star. The 28-year-old had a breakout season, but missed time with multiple injuries. Reaves is in the middle of his prime. The Lakers think he will still improve, but getting him to is a tall task.
The Celtics just had trouble trading Jaylen Brown because of his massive contract. They ended up taking back Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-rounders. The 76ers were shopping PG with a first-round pick attached to dump his salary. That shows fans how low Brown’s value was.
The Lakers will have the same problems if they try to move on from Reaves. Every dollar counts in the second apron era. Stevens realized Boston wouldn’t have enough depth if they had to pay Jayson Tatum and Brown 70 percent of the salary cap. The Celtics had to move on, so they accepted a questionable package.
The Lakers revamped their roster around Luka this summer. Doncic is excited about the new look, but the franchise could quickly regret the Reaves extension. The Lakers need him to become an All-Star and help the team win. Getting Walker Kessler will help Doncic and Reaves, but this is a massive bet on two players nobody expected to be this good.
The NBA has shifted in the second apron era. Teams are best when key players are still on their rookie contracts. The roster gets too expensive quickly and forces executives to dismantle the team. The Celtics tried tearing down their depth, but realized they couldn’t make a deep playoff run without it. Now that Brown is gone, Boston will try to win with multiple key pieces around Jayson Tatum.
Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers chose the other route. He is banking on Luka Doncic needing a co-star to bring home a championship. It will be fascinating to see which executive is right. The rival Boston Celtics changed course by trading Jaylen Brown. The Lakers hope they don’t have to do the same with Austin Reaves.
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