Austin Reaves agreed to a four-year, $56 million early bird maximum contract to return to the Lakers, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Reaves’s deal also includes a player option in his fourth season, which would allow him to enter unrestricted free agency before the 2026–27 season. Charania also stated that Reaves’s contract has a “15% trade kicker and the maximum advance allowable.”
His new contract comes as part of the Lakers’ plan to keep him in Los Angeles long term. The 2021 undrafted free agent served as a critical piece in the Lakers’ rotation last season.
At various moments when Los Angeles needed points or offensive execution, Reaves stepped up in a major way. Last season, Reaves averaged 13 points and 3.4 assists while shooting 51.9% from the floor and 38.3% from three-point range in 64 regular season games, a major increase from his first campaign with the franchise.
In the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference finals, Reaves notched 16.9 points and 4.6 assists in 36.2 minutes of action per game.
With Reaves signing a new deal, Los Angeles secures another one of its top priorities this offseason. Earlier Saturday, the Lakers re-signed D’Angelo Russell on a two-year, $37 million deal as the franchise's starting point guard.
