Austin Reaves has signed a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers which is worth $56 million and he admitted that there were two other teams whom he considered before deciding to stay with the Lakers. Reaves had a breakthrough season with the Purple and Gold outfit last season. He was a very vital player in their deep playoff run. Hence the franchise wanted to get him back in the mix.
Recently the youngster appeared in the All The Smoke podcast where Matt Barnes asked him about his interest and whether he was looking at other franchises. While Reaves revealed that he always wanted to join the Lakers, two other franchises were interested in him.
When Barnes insisted in revealing the names, Reaves revealed that Houston Rockets showed interest in him before Fred Van Vleet joined them and also the San Antonio Spurs were also interested to snap him up.
“I really wanted to be in LA the whole time,” Reaves said. “There’s a couple of situations that were close, but like I said, I wanted to be in LA. LA feels like home to me. That’s where I really wanted to be. … Houston before the Fred (Van Vleet deal) and then San Antonio,” Reaves revealed.
The Houston Rockets were looking for someone who could add versatility to their team and help their young offense. While Reaves would have been a fine option for them, the Rockets decided to turn towards experience and went with Fred VanVleet. Experience was the differentiating factor for the Rockets to not go with Reaves.
Meanwhile Spurs were looking to bolster their ranks in free agency. They brought back Tre Jones on a two-year deal so Reaves could have been in that position where he would have paired up with the highly rated No.1 pick Victor Wembanyama.
But ultimately, he returned to the Lakers and will be a massive piece in their puzzle in the upcoming season. He was possibly their third-best player and would like to continue developing in the seasons to come. He was sensational in the last playoffs where he was just behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis in terms of performance. Reaves was better than D’Angelo Russell, who has also signed a two-year contract with the Lakers.
Reaves will have a busy summer which is good for his preparations for the upcoming NBA season. The youngster will represent USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He is in the 12-roster for USA and is gearing up to make his international debut in the tournament which is scheduled for next month in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. His experience with the national team will help him grow as a player. It is definitely a step in the right direction for the Lakers star.
