Austin Reaves just signed the biggest contract in the history of undrafted NBA players. The Los Angeles Lakers gave him a four-year, $185 million deal, and if that number shocks you, welcome to the modern NBA cap.
Reaves went undrafted in 2021. He was a two-way player. He was signed to a minimum contract with the Lakers on a hope-and-a-prayer basis. Five years later, he is the highest-paid undrafted player ever. That is a real basketball story.
The number sounds huge, but it is actually a bargain for a player of Reaves’s caliber. He averaged over 20 points per game last year. He shot 39 percent from three. He plays legit two-way basketball. On the current salary scale, that is worth $46 million a year, easy.
The Lakers have been building around Reaves quietly for the last two seasons. They gave him the ball more. They ran the offense through him in stretches. They developed him from a bench guy into a legitimate All-Star candidate. Now they are paying him accordingly.
The comparison to other guards is instructive. Trae Young just signed a four-year, $212 million deal with the Wizards. Coby White got three years, $74 million with the Hornets. Reaves is right in the middle of that market, and he is arguably a better all-around player than either of them.
The Lakers made a bet on Reaves years ago. Rob Pelinka saw something in the Arkansas kid. The scouts loved his work ethic and his basketball IQ. LeBron James took him under his wing. The whole organization rallied around Reaves, and the results speak for themselves.
What is different about this deal is the guaranteed money. All four years are fully guaranteed. That is not always the case in the NBA anymore. The Lakers are betting Reaves stays healthy and productive through age 31. That is a fair bet, but it is a bet.
Reaves is 27 right now. He is in his prime. He can still get better. He has room to grow as a defender. His three-point shooting has been consistent, and he is one of the best pick-and-roll operators in the league among guards outside the top 10.
The critics will point to the fact that Reaves has never been an All-Star. Fair point. But the market pays for production, not accolades. Reaves produces. He produces at a high level. He does it consistently. That is what teams are paying for.
The Lakers’ financial position is now clearer. Reaves at $46 million a year. Kessler at his own new number. Doncic at the max. LeBron on whatever deal he signs. That is a top-heavy roster with limited flexibility to add more talent.
But the Lakers do not need much more. Reaves gives them a starting guard for the next four years. Kessler gives them a center. Doncic gives them a superstar. If LeBron returns, they have a Big Four. If he does not, they still have a legitimate playoff roster.
The player development story here is worth celebrating. Reaves worked his tail off for this money. He took every extra rep. He watched film obsessively. He asked questions in the film room. He earned every dollar of that $185 million.
Rob Pelinka has been criticized for a lot of moves over the years. The Anthony Davis trade was a home run. The Russell Westbrook trade was a disaster. The D’Angelo Russell signing was mixed. But identifying Reaves as an undrafted rookie and developing him into an All-Star candidate is a huge win.
Every general manager in the league is going to be looking for the next Austin Reaves now. Every undrafted rookie is going to hire the same trainer. Every G League team is going to run film on how the Lakers used Reaves in his early years. This is going to change how teams scout second-tier prospects.
The Lakers finish the summer in a good place. They have three cornerstone players on long-term deals. They have salary flexibility because of Reaves’s bargain contract (relatively speaking). They have a real center in Kessler. They are ready to compete for the Western Conference.
Reaves earned this. The Lakers earned this. Both sides made this happen through years of trust and hard work. That is a good NBA story, and those are getting harder to find these days.
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.
