Austin Reaves leaving the Los Angeles Lakers was not something the franchise wanted to experience this offseason. They made that perfectly clear as soon as a threat was emerging to steal him away from Hollywood. Rob Pelinka and company immediately forked over the bag.
Shams Charania reported that Reaves intends to sign a four-year, $185 million contract with the Lakers. Luka Doncic's fears of playing without his star partner in the backcourt were put to rest. The quick reunion was largely aided by the Detroit Pistons' rising urgency ahead of free agency.
Marc Stein reported on Twitter/X: "The Lakers today secured Austin Reaves' commitment on a new deal after rising interest from Detroit, league sources say. I'm told the Pistons began maneuvering to make a real run at Reaves that would've required ... flexibility."
The Pistons were lurking in the background of the Reaves sweepstakes for a while now. If Stein's intel is correct, and it usually is, then Detroit was ready to make a leap to the foreground. The Lakers managed to shut down the flight risk before it could truly materialize.
Lakers could not let Pistons swoop in on Austin Reaves
There is something comical about the Pistons being the team to push for Reaves here. Before the Lakers star went undrafted and arrived in Los Angeles, Detroit had interest in selecting him in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. Reaves' agents told them to go away.
Now, both the Lakers and his agents can revisit the feeling of telling the Pistons to kick rocks yet again. Reaves is staying in Los Angeles. Seeing the reports here does make sense as to why the annual salary came in at a slightly higher figure than some were anticipating.
Previously, the Brooklyn Nets had been rumored to be preparing a four-year, $178.5 million contract to offer Reaves. When they traded for Julius Randle, many were under the impression that signaled the end of their pursuit. That was indeed the right takeaway to have from the situation.
The Nets understood then what the Pistons are being forced to understand now.
Reaves has a prime spot in the Lakers' future as Doncic's star running mate. Those responsibilities now come with the money that reflects that.
$46.25 million on average seems like a lot at first. When the alternative is losing a star player — just entering his prime — to another contender, it is more than understandable why the Lakers picked up the bill.
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