Austin Reaves’ contract situation with the Lakers: Salary, years left...

The Lakers have made a habit of discovering players who flew under the radar and the 25-year-old rising star is definitely the next in line. With his play garnering rave reviews, one has to ask just what kind of deal is he on?

What’s the situation with Austin Reaves?

Undrafted out of Oklahoma in 2021, Austin Reaves was originally given a two-way contract from the Lakers, which was later upgraded to a regular minimum deal with a salary of $1.6 million. At the conclusion of last season, however, both parties agreed to a four-year, $53,827,872 early bird maximum contract. To that end, he is currently on a salary of $13,456,968 million for the 2023-24 season. Before we get into exactly what that looks like, it’s important to take a look at why there’s so much chatter about the 25-year-old right now.

Following a string of impressive performances off the bench with an average of 12 points per game, Reaves had already proven himself to be a dependable rotation player. That is of course, until he put 35 points on the board against the Magic back in March. At that point, it was clear that the Lakers had a talent on their hands, which brings us to the present. Now, it’s worth noting that Reaves’ deal also includes a player option in his fourth season, which would of course allow him to enter unrestricted free agency before the 2026–27 season. Reports also indicate that Reaves’s contract has a “15% trade kicker and the maximum advance allowable.” This new contract is understandably part of the Lakers’ plan to keep him in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future after he proved just how critical he was to the team’s cause.

So, what does Austin Reaves’ contract look like?

As mentioned above Reaves put pen to paper on a four-year, $53,827,872 early bird maximum contract. To be clear, the $53,827,872 with the Lakers is guaranteed. While his average annual salary is set to be $13,456,968, Reaves will actually earn a base salary of $12,015,150, this season while carrying a cap hit of $12,015,150 and a dead cap value of $12,015,150. Needless to say, this is a deserved situation for the shooting guard, who has proven that he can ball with the best of them. With Reaves’ situation now tied up, and the franchise having resigned D’Angelo Russell on Saturday gone, the team has now secured two important pieces in its offense. As for Reaves, both he and Team U.S.A. will take on Italy on Tuesday, September 5th at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. If you’d like to watch, you can find out how to do so here.