Austin Reaves is set to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers for the foreseeable future.
According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, the former undrafted guard has agreed to a four-year maximum contract worth $185 million, solidifying his long-term future with the franchise.
“Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves intends to sign a four-year, $185 million maximum contract to return to the franchise, with a player option for the final season in 2029-30. Reaves declined his $14.9 million player option for the new max deal,” reported Charania.
Reaves appears to be overjoyed after landing his maximum contract extension, and a glimpse into his current mindset has now come from someone within his inner circle.
Reeves’ girlfriend shares BTS moment
Austin Reaves’s girlfriend, Jenna Barber, gave fans a look at how he reacted to the news on her Instagram Stories Wednesday. She captioned it, “ Behind the scenes.”
According to Barber’s posts, Reaves was spending time on a golf course when he found out that the Lakers were prepared to offer him a four-year maximum contract worth $185 million.
The snap showed the 28-year-old star was lying beside a fairway bunker with his hands on his head, seemingly stunned by the magnitude of the deal.
Barber added another story featuring a photoshopped image of Reaves surrounded by stacks of cash alongside the headline, “$185M / 4YR.”
Celebrating the moment, she captioned the post, “Our place!!!” and added three purple heart emojis.
Future was up in air
Until the reports from Wednesday. Reaves faced uncertainty regarding his long-term future in the league. After opting out of his $14.9 million player option, he was on track to enter unrestricted free agency next month.
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After entering the NBA as an undrafted prospect out of Wichita State in 2021, Reaves has rapidly transformed himself into one of the most important pieces of the Purple and Gold’s current core and future plans.
Reaves’ career rise
He enjoyed his first major breakthrough during the 2022 season, when he averaged 13 points per game while making 22 starts.Since then, his development has accelerated significantly.
His rise continued last season, when he posted career-best numbers by averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals across 34.5 minutes per game.
Over the past two seasons, he has averaged more than 20 points per game while also recording over five assists per contest.
