
Austin Reaves re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer for four years and $52 million.
For the most part, it was an easy decision.
That said – one other team did tempt Reaves a bit.
The 25-year-old opened up about that this week.
“You know you hear things, and obviously with [Victor] Wembanyama, like, you know so much upside with him, you know, your mind kind of just wonders into that basketball world what that would be like,” Reaves admitted.
That said, he didn’t really believe that he would end up with the San Antonio Spurs.
“I didn’t think that there was any way that the Lakers didn’t match whatever was offered,” Reaves admitted.
“They pretty much made it pretty clear that they would match whatever. At the end of the day, I wanted to be in L.A. I love it out here, love the organization, the fans. Obviously, I wish that I could’ve got as much money as possible, but like I said, fit and opportunity, here in L.A. was really what we wanted and really where we wanted to be.”
San Antonio has acknowledged that there was real interest in Reaves. That said, one major factor ultimately prevented them from seriously pursuing him during the offseason.
Reaves has had an amazing summer. Between his intimate photos with his girlfriend going viral, recent revelation about the teammate he learned most from and brutal message for Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies, he has been everywhere.
Big day for the Washington Commanders. https://t.co/O5ZUyktokU
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 1, 2023
And with the NBA season rapidly approaching, this could be the young star’s official coming out party.
Will Reaves be able to take the Lakers to the next level of championship contention during the 2023-24 NBA season? An answer one way or the other will emerge soon enough.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.