NBA
Lakers’ Austin Reaves was almost given an offer sheet worth up to $100 million by the Spurs in free agency
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated07 Jul 2023
In just two seasons with the LA Lakers, Austin Reaves has quickly become a fan favorite. The 22-year-old went undrafted and had to carve his path to the league. He started on a two-way contract and worked to a fully guaranteed deal. After a stellar 2022-23 season, the Lakers resigned him to a four-year, $56 million max contract. They were lucky that the Spurs did not go through with offering Reaves nearly $100 million.
While Reaves is happy with his situation in LA, it would have been hard for him to turn down nearly $100 million in free agency. That’s life-changing money for a player that went undrafted just two seasons ago. For some reason, the Spurs decided to not go through with an offer sheet.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe said that San Antonio went “back and forth on it”. The Lakers were extremely lucky and were able to secure Reaves on a much smaller contract. There’s always the chance for him to sign an extension down the line for more money. For now, the Lakers are thrilled with the contract they signed him to.
Spurs Deliberated Signing Austin Reaves To Offer Sheet https://t.co/CklX2MjAnT
— RealGM (@RealGM) July 6, 2023
Austin Reaves has officially signed his four-year, $56 million max contract with the Lakers
As a rookie, Reaves shot (.317) percent from beyond the arc. In his second season with the team, he shot (.398) from beyond the arc. Reaves made a name for himself in the postseason as the third-highest scorer per game for the Lakers. He averaged (16.9) points per game in the 2023 playoffs.
His three-point percentage took a massive jump in the postseason for LA. He shot an incredible (.443) percent from beyond the arc, taking (5.5) threes per game. Reaves was the most consistent three-point shooter for the Lakers in the 2023 playoffs. The team values that highly.
They were lucky that the Spurs did not give an offer sheet to Reaves. If the number proved too big, the Lakers might have had to let him go. With the new CBA in place, teams are trying to avoid the second luxury tax apron. It played out in their favor that they were able to sign him to a more team-friendly contract. He’ll still be earning an average annual salary of $14 million.
