Austin Reaves admits he thought he was leaving the Lakers before the $185 million deal came together

Austin Reaves is officially a Laker for the long haul after signing a $185 million contract extension. But according to the 28-year-old guard, there were real moments when he wasn’t sure he’d be staying in Los Angeles.

“A couple of times actually,” Reaves said when asked if he thought he might end up elsewhere, via Dan Woike of The Athletic. “I didn’t know how negotiations would go. I don’t think Aaron (Reilly) and Reggie (Berry) really knew how negotiations would go, so we learned a lot throughout the process. But like I said, we wanted to be in L.A., my heart was in L.A., and we got it done.”

The deal removes any lingering trade rumors that hovered around Reaves in recent seasons. The Lakers front office had reportedly fielded calls about him before, but those talks are dead now. He’s locked in as part of the core alongside Luka Doncic.

Reaves had a career year in 2023-24 despite missing 31 games due to injury. He averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 36 percent from three. Those numbers make the contract look like a pretty fair bet for both sides.

Where the Lakers go from here

The team’s immediate priority is keeping Luka Doncic happy and building around him for the long term. LeBron James is 41 now and nobody knows how much longer he’ll play. Maybe another season, maybe two. But the Lakers aren’t banking on that uncertainty. They need to add at least one more high-level piece to truly contend.

Reaves gives them a reliable secondary scorer who doesn’t need the ball in his hands every possession. He can play off Doncic, hit catch-and-shoot threes and create his own shot when the offense stalls. That flexibility matters. It means the Lakers don’t have to force a trade for a third star right this second, though they’ll probably try anyway.

For Reaves, the situation is basically ideal. He doesn’t have to be the guy. He just has to be good. And at this point in his career, that seems like a safe bet. If the roster gets built right — and that’s a big if with this front office — he could be winning playoff games for years.