Athlete of the week: Brooke Reaves
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Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Lakers, Austin Reaves Receive Huge Future Update
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Los Angeles Lakers have had a solid all-around NBA offseason. While they have only made a few outside moves to bring in more talent, they were able to lock up Luka Doncic long-term with a three-year, $165 million contract extension. Bringing in Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia are also quality moves. However, there are still questions remaining about whether or not the Lakers can be a true contender in the Western Conference. Looking ahead to the future, there are a lot of upcoming decisions Los Angeles will need to make. Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on April 6, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on April 6, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Photo byOne of those decisions has to do with LeBron James. He is entering the final year of his contract with the Lakers. It's possible that he could reach free agency next offseason and leave the team. Read more: Report: Warriors, Al Horford Situation Receives New Update Another decision will revolve around rising star guard Austin Reaves. Reaves is coming off of a career-best season in the 2024-25 campaign. He has one year left on his deal and then a player option he could choose to exercise for a second. What does the outlook look like for Reaves in Los Angeles? Right now, it seems very likely that he will remain with the Lakers. According to NBA reporter Jovan Buha, who is one of the best reporters covering the team, Reaves is expected to remain in Los Angeles. He also shared that Reaves wants to remain with the team for the rest of his career. "I expect it to be with the Lakers. He wants to be a Laker for life," Buha said. Buha also reported that Reaves is expected to get $30 million per season on his next deal. He believes that the Lakers will make that work and retain him. Read more: Celtics' Payton Pritchard Receives Major Career News During the 2024-25 season, Reaves played in 73 games. He averaged 20.2 points per game to go along with 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals and shot 46 percent from the floor and 37.7 percent from three-point distance. At just 27 years old, Reaves has a long career ahead of him. He's in his prime now and will be able to be a perfect running mate for Doncic for quite some time. Hopefully, Los Angeles is able to work out a new deal with Reaves. At least for now, Buha certainly sees that being the most likely scenario. For more on the Los Angeles Lakers and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
Lakers guard Austin Reaves names his greatest player of all time
During his Asian tour, Austin Reaves, who has played 4 seasons with Lebron, was asked who his GOAT BRYANT was his a drafted player who has survived The Lebron Process, Reaves is a rarity.🫡 to comrade, @AltcoinHuckster, for the footage Austin Reaves' future with the Los Angeles Lakers past this coming season may be in a little doubt since he can opt out of his contract and become a free agent next summer. But at least for now, he's a big part of the Lakers, and he may still have some upward potential. He's relatively slow and unathletic by NBA standards, and at 6-foot-5 and roughly 200 pounds, the undrafted guard has trouble defending bigger, taller wings when he switches onto them on defense. But he averaged 20.2 points and 5.8 assists this past season and started playing at arguably an All-Star level. During a recent Asian tour with Rigorer, the sneaker company he's involved with, Reaves was asked who his greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.) is, and he said it's late Lakers great Kobe Bryant. During his legendary 20-year NBA career, Bryant eventually became massively popular in China. He often gets left out of the top tier of basketball greats by pundits, but at the same time, a number of NBA players, past and present, have said they consider him one of the five greatest players ever. For instance, Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant's former teammate and supposed enemy, put the "Black Mamba" second on his list of the greatest players in NBA history. Reaves has been nicknamed "Hillbilly Kobe" due to his Middle America roots (he grew up in a very small town in Arkansas). He has talked about being a fan of Bryant in the past, and in fact, his grandmother was also a huge fan of the Hall of Famer. By adopting Bryant's "Mamba Mentality," perhaps Reaves can continue to elevate his game and become a huge part of a Luka Doncic-centric Lakers team for many years to come while helping it win at least one NBA championship.
NBC Sports
07-08-2025
- NBC Sports
Austin Reaves likely looking at $30+ million a season in free agency next summer
Austin Reaves is on arguably the best contract in the NBA. The 20-point-a-game scorer last season for the Lakers will make $13.9 million — less than the full midlevel exception — this season, the third year of his four-year, $53.8 million contract. Next summer, Reaves is expected to use his player option to become a free agent — and the man is going to get paid. Several executives told ESPN's Tim Bontemps to expect a deal that averages more than $30 million a season. I think he will get $30 [million] plus,' one executive told ESPN, echoing multiple front office sources who were asked about the next deal Reaves could command. Those executives also echoed the idea that Reaves will re-sign with the Lakers — he is loyal, Los Angeles needs him as the No. 2 shot creator next to Luka Doncic, and he's a fan favorite so the backlash of letting him walk would be ugly. Reaves' ability to shoot the rock (37.7% on 3-pointers last season, 39.9% on catch-and-shoot attempts), play off the ball or on, makes him an ideal fit next to Doncic. However, there are questions that this season is going to answer about Reaves and his fit with the team. One is the playoffs, where Reaves struggled against the athletic Timberwolves defense, scoring 16.2 points and 3.6 assists per game while shooting just 41.1% overall and 31.9% from beyond the arc — now he needs to prove that was a fluke. While he's improved on that end, Reaves remains a minus defender, which is tough to put next to Doncic for long stretches (especially in the playoffs). That said, look at the guards making around $30 million a season right now — Jalen Suggs, Tyler Herro, Jordan Poole, Dejounte Murray — and Reaves slots in nicely with that group. A deal in the four-year, $120 million range sounds about right. If the Lakers don't want to pay it, other teams will. But the Lakers will pay it. Expect Los Angeles and Reaves to work out a deal, although he could be a late official signing as the Lakers use their expected cap space (depending on what happens with LeBron James' future with the team) to build out the roster they want around Doncic, then use their Bird rights to re-sign Reaves. That said, the deal will get done.
