During the run-up to the Lakers signing star guard Austin Reaves to a new contract before free agency tipped off at the end of last month, there were some hefty rumors swirling about what, exactly, Reaves might do. Reports suggested he was eyeing bolting for the Pistons. Another report, in The Athletic, said he wanted to head to Brooklyn on a max offer, and would shun the Lakers to do so.
To hear Reaves tell it, though, none of that was quite true.
Coming off a season in which he fought through some injury issues but averaged 23.3 points and 5.5 assists, Reaves signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $185 million contract before any other team had the opportunity to present him an official offer, guaranteeing he will continue his bustling NBA career with the Lakers, at least for the foreseeable future. Reaves says that was always the way he wanted it.
Austin Reaves Always Wanted to Stay With Lakers
Speaking to reporter Keith Jouganatos from Lake Tahoe this week, Reaves said the Lakers were always where he wanted to be.
Said Reaves: “That was the main goal at the start of everything was to continue my career with the Lakers and whatever that looked like. As far as the contract for basketball, that is all great, but at the end of the day, I love basketball and I want to compete and I want to win.”
Lakers, NBA Had a Busy Offseason
He added that he does not pay much attention the NBA’s rumor mill, even as he and the Lakers were main characters in it this time around. But he acknowledged that the NBA offseason, in which the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard and Jaylen Brown have been traded, as been especially wild.
He said: “It’s crazy. I don’t really be on social media, though, I kind of hear it through my friends. That’s kind of the nature of the business, you see guys Top 5 in MVP voting getting traded. Definitely a wild, crazy time in the league.”
Austin Reaves Will Miss LeBron James
Even with the big new contract, the Lakers’ offseason has been bittersweet for Reaves, as the team has enacted some pretty major changes, the most significant of which is letting LeBron James go in free agency (he has not signed anywhere yet, of course, but is not coming back to LA). James was an early advocate for Reaves after he went undrafted out of Oklahoma in 2021, and helped ensure the Lakers gave Reaves a chance to shine.
But the Lakers added center Walker Kessler and four other veteran free agents.
Said Reaves: “Obviously, you never want to see people you’ve been with for years leave, and obviously I don’t have all the time in the world to talk about how great LeBron is and how much he means to me and my career. I am going to miss all those guys. But it’s a good opportunity to kind of turn the page and see what’s next.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Lakers’ Austin Reaves Reveals Intentions Amid ‘Crazy’ NBA Rumors appeared first on HEAVY.