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Austin Reaves was elated after agreeing to a new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. His new contract will start at $12.4 million next season and includes additional salary bumps each season, amounting to $54 million over four years.
The player had an excellent performance in his second season in the NBA, shooting 52.9% from the field,39.8% from three and a decent 86.4% from charity stripe.
He played a vital role during the Lakers chase for a spot in the Play-in tournament and contributed an impressive 19.8 ppg in the teams' 9-2 run to clinch the 7th seed in the Western Conference.
Speaking on his contract at the Lowe Post Podcast, Austin remarked:
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"It’s hard to be mad at making $54M. That’s way more money than I ever thought I would make, especially playing a kid's sport for a living.”
In the playoffs, Reaves started in all 16 games netting 16.9 points as the Lakers made it to the conference finals.
Austin Reaves' impressive ascent to a premier NBA player
Austin Reaves had an unconventional start to his NBA career going undrafted in the 2021 draft. The Lakers first signed him to a two-way deal then converted his contract to a guaranteed spot after they realized his potential.
Resigning the 6-foot-5 guard was one of the Laker's priorities during the off-season. Lakers' General manager Rob Pelinka made this clear during an interview, telling reporters:
"I would say this resoundingly clear: Our intentions are to keep our core of young guys together."
The team was active in the free agency signing Gabe Vincent who had an excellent showing for the Miami Heat in their run to the NBA finals. They also agreed to deal with the young Japanese phenom Rui Hachimura and added Taurean Prince who played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the last season.
LA's front office also decided to resign point guard D'Angelo Russell despite his lackluster performance in the playoffs.
Austin Reaves also featured in Team USA's FIBA World Cup campaign and had a standout performance in all of his appearances. He played in the five exhibition games and received substantial minutes in Steve Kerr's rotation.
He also earned the Player of the Game award by scoring 15 points, grabbing five rebounds and facilitating a team-high six assists in the U.S.’s 109-81 preliminary-round win.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been on the lookout for a a third star since pairing LeBron James with Anthony Davis, now playing in their fifth season. In particular, they have been searching for a prolific ballhandler who can marshal the offence and alleviate James’ burden in high-pressure moments.
