Lakers to sign Austin Reaves to 4-year, $185 million max contract: Report
The Los Angeles Lakers plan to sign star guard Austin Reaves to a four-year, $185 million max contract, including a player option for the 2029-30 season, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
Reaves, 28, declined his $14.9 million player option in favor of receiving a long-term extension.
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, sources tell ESPN. Reaves declined his $14.9M player option for the new max deal. pic.twitter.com/5T8Ze6v0kF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2026
Reaves’ new $185 million deal is reportedly the richest contract for an undrafted player in NBA history. He’s expected to make roughly $41 million next season, with that figure gradually rising to over $51 million in the final year of his deal.
Austin Reaves projected numbers
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 24, 2026
2026-27: $41.3M
2027-28: $44.6M
2028-29: $47.9M
2029-30: $51.2M
That’s quite the haul for a player who went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. Reaves reportedly had a chance to go to the Detroit Pistons in that draft, but told the team he didn’t want to be drafted by it.
Instead, Reaves wound up signing a two-way deal with the Lakers that August. He eventually was signed to an NBA deal and made his debut in October. He worked his way into seeing significant minutes as a rookie, averaging 7.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game.
Reaves showed improvement the following year, averaging 13 points per game and earning Sixth Man of the Year votes.
He took another step forward during the 2023-24 NBA season, again increasing his points per game. That led to Reaves being given a larger role. He appeared in 82 games with the Lakers that season, starting 57 of them.
That set Reaves up as a full-time starter the following year. In 73 games, he averaged 20.2 points and 5.8 assists per game.
He once again increased his points per game figures last season, when Reaves played in 51 games and averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
With Reaves reportedly under contract, the Lakers will now continue to build around the undrafted star and Luka Dončić in the backcourt. Dončić was reportedly on board with signing Reaves, per The Athletic, reportedly telling the Lakers not to include Reaves in any possible trades for Giannis Antetokounmpo if the team went down that path.
The team has also reportedly had conversations with LeBron James as he considers his free-agent options.
But with James inching closer and closer to retirement, the Reaves signing signals a changing of the guard in Los Angeles. The Lakers are now officially Dončić and Reaves’ team. That’s quite the development for a player who was deemed not good enough to get selected in the 2021 NBA Draft.
