Going into the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers’ No. 1 priority was to re-sign Austin Reaves.
Reaves emerged as the Lakers’ third-best player down the stretch of the 2022-23 season and well into the postseason where he helped lead the team to several thrilling wins. Fortunately, the two sides were able to agree on a new four-year contract that will pay Reaves north of $56 million.
The second-year guard took a leap in his game and is poised to assume even more responsibility heading into his third year. Former teammates like Thomas Bryant have been impressed with Reaves’ growth and he had high praise for him in an appearance on the ‘Buckets’ podcast:
“Skilled killer. It’s crazy because people just now seeing what Austin can do. Put it on the floor, shoot that thing and everything, get to his spots and get to the rim but I’ve seen that throughout the whole time and throughout the summer playing with him and against him. I was like, ‘Yo, Austin’s nice. A-R’s nice, man, he can play.’ I’m generally happy for him because he just getting to showcase what he do and that’s just very happy for me to just see one of my boys just do it, man.”
Bryant also recalled a time during the summer where players tried to be physical with Reaves who in turn dished it back and made them pay for it:
“Oh yeah, they tried to rough him up one time when we playing in the summertime. They tried to foul him a few times and they was talking to him and he was talking back at ’em. He was like, ‘Nah, I’m about that. I’m about this. Stop playing with me, I can get down with it.’ And he went out there and did it, too. I was like, ‘Yeah, come on now. A-R’s straight.'”
Bryant’s recount of Reaves from the previous offseason aligns with what fans saw on the court this past year as the undrafted guard made a name for himself against some of the biggest stars in the league. Now under contract for the foreseeable future, Reaves has a chance to help the franchise in its pursuit of banner No. 18.
Austin Reaves posts mixtape to celebrate re-signing with Lakers
Both the Lakers and Reaves were heavily interested in a long-term commitment and the two sides fortunately came to an agreement. Shortly after the news was announced, Reaves posted a mixtape to his Instagram account celebrating his return to Los Angeles.
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