The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t begin negotiations with Austin Reaves intending to hand him a $185 million maximum contract.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, they almost lost him because they tried not to.
Appearing on First Take on Thursday, Windhorst revealed that the Lakers significantly increased their offer to Reaves only after the Detroit Pistons emerged as a legitimate threat to sign the breakout guard in free agency.
The dramatic shift came just as Reaves admitted he grew increasingly frustrated throughout negotiations despite wanting to remain with the only NBA franchise he has ever known.
Lakers Initially Offered Far Less
Windhorst disclosed that Los Angeles’ opening proposal looked dramatically different from the deal Reaves ultimately accepted.
“Austin Reaves, from what I understand, two days ago was somewhere around $30 million a year in his offer from the Lakers,” Windhorst said. “It’s a very good contract. It’s a far cry from what they offered him yesterday.”
The final agreement?
Four years worth approximately $185 million—more than $45 million annually.
“The offer they offered him yesterday, what he agreed to was more than $45 million a year,” Windhorst said. “It’s a 50% increase in like 24 hours.”
According to Windhorst, Detroit’s aggressive pursuit completely altered the negotiations.
“Why leverage? Because the Detroit Pistons were lining it up,” he said. “We saw last night that they made a trade to move off Isaiah Stewart. That cleared salary cap space coming. He had leverage.”
Rather than risk losing one of Luka Dončić‘s most important teammates, the Lakers dramatically increased their offer.
Reaves Admitted Negotiations Became Frustrating
Although the talks lasted only about a week, Reaves acknowledged they took a toll.
Speaking to The Athletic, Reaves admitted the uncertainty wore on him.
“I didn’t like it,” Reaves said. “It was weird. It just was, I mean, it’s just a lot of ‘What ifs.’ I just like to know where I’m going to be.”
Reaves said he desperately wanted the negotiations to end—not because he wanted to leave Los Angeles, but because he hoped to stay.
“My heart’s been in L.A. Every morning I wake up, I’m just like, ‘I hope we can get this done today,’” Reaves said.
He admitted to becoming frustrated as the negotiations stalled.
“Even if I was frustrated through the process when we weren’t getting the numbers we wanted, the next morning I woke up, it was still the same thing: ‘Hopefully we can get this done today.’”
Everything changed on Tuesday afternoon.
While golfing in his hometown of Batesville, Arkansas, Reaves learned the Lakers had dramatically increased their proposal.
The relief was immediate.
“I mean, it was a breath of fresh air,” Reaves said. “I hadn’t stopped thinking about where I was going to be.”
Pistons Forced Lakers’ Hand
Windhorst’s reporting aligns with what quickly became one of the NBA’s biggest offseason storylines.
Detroit had positioned itself to pursue a marquee free agent after trading veteran center Isaiah Stewart during the NBA Draft.
The Pistons had long been viewed as the most serious challenger to lure Reaves away from Los Angeles, with multiple reports indicating they were prepared to offer a maximum contract.
That leverage fundamentally changed the negotiations.
Rather than allowing Reaves to reach the open market on July 1, Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka chose certainty over risk.
The result was the richest contract ever signed by an undrafted player in NBA history.
Lakers Bet on Their Core
The agreement cements Reaves as one of the franchise’s foundational pieces alongside Dončić.
Last season, the 28-year-old averaged career highs of 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds, establishing himself as Los Angeles’ secondary offensive creator and one of the league’s most efficient guards.
For the Lakers, the decision wasn’t merely about rewarding one of the NBA’s best development stories.
It was about protecting the future they envision around Dončić.
Had Detroit never cleared the financial flexibility to make a serious run at Reaves, the Lakers might never have increased their offer by roughly 50 percent.
Instead, the Pistons’ pursuit forced Los Angeles to pay market value and ensured one of the franchise’s biggest success stories never reached free agency.
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