Austin Reaves

2023 - 3 - 20

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Watch Austin Reaves score career-high 35, lead Lakers past Magic (Yahoo Sports)

D'Angelo Russell added 18 points for Los Angeles.

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Austin Reaves carries Lakers' offense, showcasing his value: 'He got ... (The Athletic)

The second-year guard scored a career-high 35 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, to help buoy the Lakers in the Play-In race.

He also ranks ninth in the [NBA](https://theathletic.com/nba/) in the percentage of points scored from free throws — alongside a similar group of bigs, stars, rookie [Bennedict Mathurin](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/bennedict-mathurin-qGbe9pT28TRLKEBR/) and [Harrison Barnes](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/harrison-barnes-QhjHBSSlCIrC3T5Y/). In the meantime, Reaves is thriving as his role expands and his confidence grows down the stretch of this season. He’s third on the team in fourth-quarter minutes and has played in all but four of the Lakers’ fourth quarters in the 54 games he’s played in this season. Both the Lakers and Reaves’ camp have interest in Reaves re-signing in Los Angeles, according to multiple league sources who were granted anonymity so that they coud speak freely. “You’re talking about arguably one of the greatest players ever,” Reaves said. The eight names ahead of him are a combination of paint-bound big men and superstars ( He has his tricks, knowing when to expose the ball before leaning into a defender, and how to snap his head to exaggerate the contact. He became the seventh player in Lakers history to score 35 points or more off the bench, and the first since What the Lakers have in Reaves is a player who’s been quietly breaking out during his sophomore campaign — and now loudly so. 10 because [Minnesota](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/timberwolves/) currently owns the tiebreaker. His knack for drawing contact — he seemingly is bloodied and hit in the face every game — is uncanny. [Lakers](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/lakers/) (35-37) desperately needed as they barely hang on in the Play-In tournament race.

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The Sports Report: Austin Reaves is the star as Lakers get past Magic (Los Angeles Times)

Howdy, I'm your host, Houston Mitchell. Let's get right to the news. Newsletter. Go beyond the scoreboard. Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily ...

No. 2 Iowa 74, No. 3 LSU 66, No. 2 Utah 63, No. 2 Maryland 77, No. 3 Notre Dame 53, No. 75, No. 4 UConn 70, No. 3 Gonzaga 84, No. 6 Creighton 85, No. 5 Miami 85, No. 3 Xavier 84, No.

Lakers' Austin Reaves: Posts career-high 35 points in win (CBSSports.com)

Reaves registered 35 points (9-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 16-18 FT), six rebounds and six assists across 30 minutes during Sunday's 111-105 victory over the Magic.

• Reaves has consistently outplayed Beasley since his arrival, but coach Darvin Ham seems satisfied with Reaves' current sixth-man role. The second-year pro has carved a significant role this season, although his minutes were at risk with the arrival of Malik Beasley at the trade deadline.

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Austin Reaves scores career-high 35 points, sends LA Lakers past ... (BusinessWorld Online)

Anthony Davis finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, Dennis Schroder had 12 points and Jarred Vanderbilt had 10 rebounds as the Lakers (35-37) ...

The LA Lakers led by as many as 16 points in the first half and held a 59-49 lead at halftime behind 16 points from Reaves. The Magic got even at 101-101 with 2:39 remaining on a 3-pointer from Mr. Wagner to give Los Angeles a 105-103 advantage with 57.8 seconds remaining, then added two more free throws with 33.8 seconds left for a 107-103 advantage. The LA Lakers took a 99-93 lead on a 3-pointer by Mr. Banchero capped a 5-0 run with a jump shot to pull the Magic within 99-98 with 3:24 remaining. Los Angeles improved to 6-5 since star LeBron James went down with a tendon injury in his right foot.

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2023 NBA free agency: Will Los Angeles Lakers keep Austin Reaves? (Spiel Times)

March 19, 2023 - Austin Reaves had himself a night with a career-high score of 35 points to push the Los Angeles Lakers over Paolo Banchero and the ...

Months after the [NBA draft](https://www.spieltimes.com/news/nba-draft-2022-kai-sotto-update/), the Los Angeles Lakers called Reaves and signed him to a two-way contract. [NBA](https://www.spieltimes.com/news/nba-how-much-money-could-ja-morant-potentially-lose-this-season/) team who would want him. Austin Reaves is currently on a 2-year $2.48 Million contract with the Lakers. Although he looks like a scrawny kid, the guy is a scrapper and hustles on every play, something LeBron James really loves about him. Just like in his college days, the young gun is a walking bucket. [ did not get drafted](https://www.spieltimes.com/news/why-kai-sotto-went-undrafted-in-the-2022-nba-draft/) back in 2021. Until next time, Stay Safe and Happy Gaming! [LeBron James](https://www.spieltimes.com/news/lebron-james-ps5-collaboration-possible-release-date-and-where-to-buy/)’s return yet but the Lakers’ head coach, Darvin Ham, is optimistic the 38-year-old superstar will return to the court just in time for the playoffs. March 19, 2023 – Austin Reaves had himself a night with a career-high score of 35 points to push the Los Angeles Lakers over Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic. Similar role players – before Austin Reaves came – like Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker received a huge bag after showing glimpses of huge potential. With how effective and reliable he’s been, should the Los Angeles Lakers re-sign Austin Reaves this offseason? With LeBron’s return still questionable, Reaves stepped up and carried the team in a close matchup.

Austin Reaves Lead Lakers to Win, Team Eye LeBron James Return (The Source)

The Los Angeles Lakers look like a much better team after the trade deadline, but we are still unsure about their full potential because LeBron James has ...

After the game, Reaves talked about with passion. Reaves had it all going, pushing the Lakers back into the No. The Los Angeles Lakers look like a much better team after the trade deadline, but we are still unsure about their full potential because LeBron James has been out.

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Lakers' Austin Reaves is making a leap, but Gilbert Arenas rule may ... (CBSSports.com)

An undrafted guard has emerged as a key rotation player. He is thriving as the Lakers deal with major injuries elsewhere on the roster. His presence is keeping ...

[Warriors](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/GS/golden-state-warriors/) or the [Clippers](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/LAC/los-angeles-clippers/). [Jazz](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/UTA/utah-jazz/) have only two guards under guaranteed contracts for next season in [Collin Sexton](/nba/players/2891955/collin-sexton/) and [Ochai Agbaji](/nba/players/3042389/ochai-agbaji/). The [Thunder](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/OKC/oklahoma-city-thunder/) aren't positionally picky and will gladly take a bit more ball-handling and defensive help. [Rui Hachimura](/nba/players/2268082/rui-hachimura/). That is more than [DeMar DeRozan](/nba/players/1685250/demar-derozan/) (67), [James Harden](/nba/players/1685255/james-harden/) (58) and [Trae Young](/nba/players/2938032/trae-young/) (53). The signing team can use its cap space to structure the cap hits as the average annual salary in each of the four years. And this is where things get complicated for the Lakers, because while they can offer Reaves only the Early Bird max (which starts at 105 percent of the average player's salary), other teams have no such constraint. But stick him [Dennis Schroder](/nba/players/2067702/dennis-schroder/) and [D'Angelo Russell](/nba/players/2152730/dangelo-russell/) instead and he turns into this higher-usage free-throw merchant and floor general. The Lakers lost [Alex Caruso](/nba/players/2269489/alex-caruso/) when this happened two years ago. Here's the good news: the Lakers can legally match any offer another team makes [Austin Reaves](/nba/players/2268681/austin-reaves/) as a restricted free agent this offseason. He would make roughly $14.1 million in the final year of such a contract, a figure that's probably lower than what he is worth now. [Lakers](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/LAL/los-angeles-lakers/) fans.

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Watch Austin Reaves score career-high 35, lead Lakers past Magic (NBC Sports)

The Lakers' Austin Reaves scored a career-high 35 points and the Lakers were able to knock off the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.

[Wendell Carter Jr.](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/basketball/nba/player/30578/wendell-carter-jr) had 16 points and 11 rebounds, but Orlando couldn’t repeat the dominance of its 39-point fourth quarter in a victory over the Clippers one day earlier in the same arena. [Austin Reaves](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/basketball/nba/player/65148/austin-reaves) scored a career-high 35 points, D’Angelo Russell added 18 points and the Los Angeles Lakers hung on for a 111-105 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. [Anthony Davis](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/basketball/nba/player/29801/anthony-davis) had 15 points and 11 rebounds on another rough shooting night, but Reaves carried the Lakers to victory with 13 points in the fourth quarter, including Los Angeles’ last 10 points over the final 1:33. Ham reiterated before the game that Los Angeles expects James to return before the regular season ends in three weeks. But Reaves hit a mid-range jumper with 57 seconds left and then grabbed the long rebound of Wagner’s missed 3 before making two more free throws. Reaves shot a career-high 18 free throws, while the Magic shot 17.

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Lakers' Anthony Davis, LeBron James Joke They Wish They Got ... (Bleacher Report)

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 111-105 on Sunday night behind a 35-point performance from Austin Reaves. Reaves, who plays primarily off…

The most Davis has taken is 21, which came during a Nov. The most free-throw attempts James has taken this season is 15, which came in a Jan. LeBron James and Anthony Davis also joked after the win that they wished they could get some of the calls the 24-year-old got on Sunday night:

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LeBron and Anthony Davis joke about their Austin Reaves jealousy (FanSided)

Lakers second-year guard Austin Reaves put on a performance for the ages on Sunday to keep Los Angeles' postseason hopes alive.

Having dropped critical points against the Houston Rockets this past week, the Lakers got their morale-boosting victory against the Magic and are currently tied for ninth in the West with the Minnesota Timberwolves. [James Harden and Trae Young](https://twitter.com/jovanbuha/status/1637669075668316161) who have become infamous for drawing fouls in the league. The 24-year-old guard ended up tipping the scales at the Crypto.com Arena and gave L.A.

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Lakers Highlights: Austin Reaves Scores Career-High 35 Points In ... (LakersNation.com)

Highlights of Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who scored a career-high 35 points against Orlando Magic.

The second-year guard led the way for Los Angeles, scoring a career-high 35 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists in what was his best game as a pro to date. Reaves was a maestro with the basketball in his hands, getting to his spots and finishing through traffic to draw tough and-ones. Orlando had no answers for Reaves who seemed to be everywhere on the court, and that was especially true in crunch time as the former undrafted free agent took over in the final minutes.

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Skip Bayless freaks out about Austin Reaves and mocks LeBron ... (MARCA.com)

American sports columnist Skip Bayless has found a way to take aim at LeBron James even whilst the Los Angeles Lakers star is off of the court with a ...

He also added that 'everything is going according to plan' which suggests that there will not be any unforeseen delays on the return date which is huge news for the team. That led Bayless to question whether the Lakers actually need LeBron to come back from his injury or not. "Who needs Bron when you have "Hillbilly Kobe"?

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“Who Needs LeBron James?” Skip Bayless Says Austin Reaves Is ... (The Sportsrush)

Austin Reaves was at his clinical best, scoring a career-high 35 points, Skip Bayless declared that LeBron James isn't needed at this moment.

LeBron James – is just the cherry on top of this cake at the moment – Darwin Ham and Rob Pelinka have been baking, and the cake is ready! If the Lakers do continue their run, AR-15 would be one of the main reasons why they made it. Skip Bayless has even gone to the length of asking if LBJ is really needed – the same man who’s been promoting his return since he got injured. Reaves is still on his rookie contract, and could very well sign with the Lakers again. He made a lot of the circus shots, akin to some Harlem Globe Trotters. At one point in the fourth quarter, it looked like it could tip in the Magic’s favor, but Reaves went ahead and hit some decisive shots and took the game away from them.

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Why Austin Reaves' recent surge makes keeping him more ... (ClutchPoints)

The Lakers could have a hard time keeping Austin Reaves in free agency given the CBA restrictions on the contract they could offer him.

The 24-year old [has averaged 17.7 points over the past 11 games](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/austin-reaves-averages-since-february-28) without James, including a career-high 35-point explosion against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night to give the Lakers a [much-needed 111-105 victory](https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-austin-reaves-magic) to remain right in the thick of the playoff race. [has been incredible in the absence](https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-stunned-reaction-austin-reaves-carrying-la) of LeBron James over the past three weeks. However, one bright spot amidst their foray into mediocrity has been the emergence of undrafted guard [Austin Reaves](/nba/players/a28a08f4/austin-reaves), who has [taken his game to new heights](https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-austin-reaves-35-point-eruption-vs-magic-twitter-going-bonkers) in recent weeks.

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Austin Reaves, the 'Hillbilly Kobe' who went from the farm to LA ... (MARCA.com)

The shooting guard, instrumental in the win over the Magic, grew up in a small town in Arkansas and came to the NBA after not being drafted.

Nobody even drafted me," Reaves recalled after his breakthrough performance against the Magic. On 22 October, he made his NBA debut, fulfilling a dream. All the odds were stacked against me. But come the 2021 draft, nobody took notice. Austin soon began to demonstrate his basketball skills, inherited from his parents. He didn't waste any time. "I grew up a Lakers fan. He had grown up a Lakers fan and a Kobe fanatic, just like his grandmother, with whom he used to watch the games. In August, the Lakers signed him to a two-way contract with the possibility of assigning him to the G League. [the LA Lakers ](https://www.marca.com/en/basketball/nba/los-angeles-lakers.html)and just had the game of his life: 35 points in a pivotal 111-105 win over the Magic. [Ja Morant returns to the Grizzlies following his NBA suspension: When will he play again?](https://www.marca.com/en/basketball/nba/memphis-grizzlies/2023/03/20/6418585b268e3e96488b45a4.html) [LeBron James ](https://www.marca.com/en/basketball/nba/los-angeles-lakers/2023/03/20/6418630322601de35f8b4571.html)and with only an average performance from Anthony Davis, he scored his team's final 10 points.

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Shams: Lakers' Austin Reaves 'Increasingly Looking' at Contract ... (Bleacher Report)

Austin Reaves is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and the cost for the Los Angeles Lakers to retain him could be pretty high. The maximum…

Reaves is coming off the game of his life, a 111-105 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. The 24-year-old, who is in just his second NBA season, has shown plenty of improvement this year. but the Lakers can match that because he is a restricted free agent." According to The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania, that type of deal is "increasingly looking like his marketplace." Malik Beasley, Davon Reed and Mo Bamba have non-guaranteed deals. The Purple and Gold should have the room to keep Reaves in L.A., and The Athletic's

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Austin Reaves Shocks LeBron James, Twitter as Anthony Davis ... (Bleacher Report)

The Los Angeles Lakers faced a scare in Sunday's game against the Orlando Magic, but second-year guard Austin Reaves put forth the best scoring performance ...

In the absence of star forward LeBron James (foot), players will need to step up to help replace his production. Reaves finished with a career-high 35 points in 30 minutes off the bench, and he added six rebounds and six assists in the win. Final: Lakers 111, Magic 105

A critical win for the Lakers, who improve to 35-37 and move into a tie with Minnesota for No.

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Austin Reaves rising to challenges in Lakers' playoff push (WOKV)

LOS ANGELES — (AP) — When the Los Angeles Lakers reached the final minutes of a tight game they desperately needed to win, the player with the ball in his ...

Reaves will be a restricted free agent this summer, and Lakers fans are already fretting about his future two years after they lost Alex Caruso, another undrafted find who played his way into a major role on the 2020 championship team. “I’ve said many times I’m not the most athletic person in the world,” Reaves said. Reaves sees it as a way to help the Lakers without relying on superior strength or world-class speed. “He gets a lot of those calls,” Davis said. Driving to the hoop and shooting with confidence, he also repeatedly baited the Magic into fouls and then made 16 of his 18 free throws, both career highs. Reaves ended up with a career-high 35 points, and Lakers fans serenaded him with chants of “M-V-P!

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Austin Reaves rising to challenges in Lakers' playoff push (Toronto Star)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the Los Angeles Lakers reached the final minutes of a tight game they desperately needed to win, the player with the ball in h...

Reaves will be a restricted free agent this summer, and Lakers fans are already fretting about his future two years after they lost Alex Caruso, another undrafted find who played his way into a major role on the 2020 championship team. “I’ve said many times I’m not the most athletic person in the world,” Reaves said. Reaves sees it as a way to help the Lakers without relying on superior strength or world-class speed. “He gets a lot of those calls,” Davis said. Driving to the hoop and shooting with confidence, he also repeatedly baited the Magic into fouls and then made 16 of his 18 free throws, both career highs. Reaves ended up with a career-high 35 points, and Lakers fans serenaded him with chants of “M-V-P!

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LeBron James Shouts Out Austin Reaves After He Carries Lakers To ... (Sports Illustrated)

The second-year shooting guard had a career high last night.

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Austin Reaves: 'It Means A Lot' To Receive MVP Chant From Lakers ... (Yardbarker)

When the Los Angeles Lakers badly in need of a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive, it was undrafted second-year guard Austin Reaves who came to the ...

To come from that to having a game like this for the Lakers is something he relishes. So I think we need to get a little more up. The whole year last year was kind of a year for me to figure a lot of stuff out,” Reaves noted. When the Lakers signed Reaves coming out of the 2021 NBA Draft, it was originally to a two-way contract. This is right in line with something Reaves spoke about after the Dallas game as he thinks the I think we as a team need to shoot more 3s. But to be at this level, and this organization and you know, to score the last 10 points is special. So every game that I’ve played in the past has been a learning experience.” So last year, was kind of a year that I had to feel things out. Reaves might not be an MVP-caliber player, but he certainly was on this night, navigating the pick-and-roll to create all of the offense down the stretch. When the Los Angeles Lakers badly in need of a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive, it was undrafted second-year guard Austin Reaves who came to the rescue with the best game of his career. But for them to do that for me is special.

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Lakers, Austin Reaves have mutual interest in new deal (Yardbarker)

In the wake of Austin Reaves' career night on Sunday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports that the Lakers and Reaves' camp have mutual interest in keeping ...

But the former Oklahoma Sooner has established himself as a reliable rotation player in his second NBA season, averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists with an impressive .518/.380/.854 shooting line in 54 games (27.8 MPG). And despite only holding Reaves’ Early Bird rights, the Lakers would have the ability to match such an offer via the Arenas provision. Sometimes I gotta stop and really think about what I am doing. All I’m really happy about is the win.” At one point, that would have looked like more than enough financial flexibility to bring back Reaves, but his strong play this season has increased his value. Additionally, the team will only hold his “I mean, I grew up a Lakers fan. [Follow Yardbarker on MSN to get our exclusive content in your Microsoft News feed](https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-cj9pqbr0vn9in2b6ddcd8sfgpfq6x6utp44fssrv6mc2gtybw0us) “It’s special,” Reaves said after scoring 35 points in a victory over Orlando, per Buha. As Buha notes, that means L.A. will be limited to offering Reaves approximately $51M over four years if they negotiate with him directly. [Early Bird rights](https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2022/04/hoops-rumors-glossary-early-bird-rights-6.html) at that time, rather than his [full Bird rights](https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2022/04/hoops-rumors-glossary-bird-rights-5.html).

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Lakers News: LA, Austin Reaves Both Open To New Contract This ... (Sports Illustrated)

Hot off the best game of his young NBA career last night, it appears that your Los Angeles Lakers are looking to retain backup shooting guard Austin Reaves ...

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Austin Reaves drops career-high 35 points in pivotal Lakers win (Yahoo Sports)

Former Sooner Austin Reaves had the NBA world buzzing after his career-high 35 points helped propel the Lakers to a big win.

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Austin Reaves Made Lakers Franchise History On Sunday Night (Sports Illustrated)

Los Angeles Lakers backup shooting guard Austin Reaves is having a moment. Last night, he scored a career-best 35 points while shooting 9-of-14 from the ...

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Anthony Davis wishes he, LeBron James got same whistle as Austin ... (Silver Screen and Roll)

The Lakers are not only watching Austin Reaves blossom this season, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are growing envious of him.

Only that pair and Luka Doncic have a free throw rate of .500 or greater. It speaks to how good Reaves is that he could adapt to what was largely an entirely different role last season and find success. Of guards in the NBA to play at least 1,200 minutes this season, only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a higher free throw rate than Reaves. The ball has been in his hands more, particularly since Russell Westbrook was traded and LeBron James went down with injury and his 3-point shot has noticeably improved. Reaves had already put together a strong season before he broke out in a big way on Sunday with his career-high 35 points. From Alex Caruso to Talen Horton-Tucker (kind of!) to now Austin Reaves, the franchise keeps churning out guards regardless of whether they’re second round picks or even drafted at all.

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How Austin Reaves became known as 'Hillbilly Kobe' (Basketball Network)

If there's one more thing that will even make Reaves closer to the hearts of Lakers nation, it's his college nickname, “Hillbilly Kobe.”

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Lakers Notes: Shaq's Health, LA's Playoff Chances, Austin Reaves ... (Sports Illustrated)

Even on an off day, the news cycle didn't exactly stop for your Los Angeles Lakers. At 35-37, LA is now the 10th seed in the Western Conference, ...

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Is Austin Reaves Heading for an Arenas Rule Showdown with the ... (Bleacher Report)

Austin Reaves is playing himself into a lucrative contract this season. The undrafted guard is helping to keep the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoff hunt ...

That led to a three-year, $30.8 million contract, with Horton-Tucker (now with the Jazz) earning $10.3 million this season. Based on a $162 million threshold, the tax bill projects to be $36.8-104.5 million. The third year, which can be non-guaranteed to protect the team from players who don't blossom quickly, locks in full Bird rights when the player hits restricted free agency and removes the Arenas Rule complication entirely. The offering franchise would need up to $24.7 million in cap room, but a max deal would have the following structure: Similarly, the team didn't prioritize signing Talen Horton-Tucker to a three-year deal in 2019, making him an Arenas Rule restricted free agent in 2021. A team with cap room can offer Reaves up to four years, with the last two years as high as a maximum salary. Reaves may not get near the max, but he could be worth a price similar to what the Atlanta Hawks just paid to Bogdan Bogdanović in a four-year, $68 million extension. In this case, the Lakers wouldn't have to decide on matching Reaves until July 8. This isn't the first time the Lakers have faced this issue. A competing franchise may make him an offer to put the Lakers to the test—or, at worst, make L.A. But the Lakers are unlikely to lose him this summer unless the franchise lets him go as an Arenas Rule restricted free agent. Because the Warriors only had his early Bird rights, the team didn't have the means to match an offer sheet from the Washington Wizards.

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Lakers' Austin Reaves Worth Keeping at Any Price amid Contract ... (Bleacher Report)

If someone put a soundtrack to Austin Reaves' 2022-23 NBA season, it'd probably be a cash register ringing on loop. The second-year guard has used this…

That's a keeper at any (realistic) cost. Those players are helpful but not essential, and they certainly don't carry a $50 million price tag. [described](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35638605/lakers-gm-rob-pelinka-says-trades-were-pre-agency) the moves as "pre-agency." didn't necessarily lock anyone into the long-term plans, the hope is several (if not all) of those additions will become core members of this club. You could really start to see a young core crystalizing that gives us optionality for the future, but also gives us an improved team now to finish ... Reaves has been rock-solid all season, but he's been particularly productive since James went down, averaging 17.7 points on 56.4/39.5/82.5 shooting and 5.3 assists over his past 11 outings.

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Austin Reaves' old anti-LeBron James posts going viral amid recent ... (ClutchPoints)

Lakers fans did some digging and found out Austin Reaves wasn't exactly the biggest LeBron James fan growing up.

Safe to say Austin Reaves probably doesn’t feel the same way about LeBron James if you asked him about it today. He also brandished the typical Lakers fan take holding Kobe Bryant in higher regard over LeBron James. King James had nothing but praise for the youngster after his recent 35-point eruption to key yet another LA victory.

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