Well, one of the Detroit Pistons' potential free agent targets is off the board, as on Wednesday, Austin Reaves agreed to a four-year, $185 million max deal to stay with the Lakers. It was assumed that the guard would stay in Los Angeles, but how much it'd cost to make that happen was unknown.
The Lakers didn't want to lose Reaves to a team like the Pistons, who could've created the cap space to get him, so they gave him every cent he could've gotten.
Reaves was expected to receive free-agent interest from multiple teams -- such as Detroit -- on maximum-level salary, so the Lakers stepped up on Wednesday to lock in their homegrown talent. Reaves went from undrafted to a two-way player -- to making the Lakers roster and now… https://t.co/gft1J4pThc
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2026
He'll start by making a projected $41.3 million in 2026-27, per ESPN's Bobby Marks, and his player option for 2029-30 is projected to be worth a whopping $51.2 million.
The Lakers needed to pay up to keep him with teams like the Pistons and the Nets swirling, but between those two, Detroit was the bigger threat as a contender. Los Angeles didn't want to let its homegrown undrafted talent slip through its fingers, so it paid the price (literally), and that could be why it doesn't work in the purple and gold's favor.
Lakers agree to sign Austin Reaves to max contract
Los Angeles would've greatly benefitted from Reaves taking less than the max in the second apron era, but it didn't work out that way.
The Lakers believe that Reaves can help them win a championship, as does Luka Dončić, who made it clear he wanted his backcourt mate to stay. You know that was also at the forefront of LA's minds when negotiating AR's new deal. He is the ideal fit alongside Luka, but he will need to prove more than that with his new deal.
Reaves will need to build on the 2025-26 season, when he averaged a career-high 23.3 points, and the Lakers hope he stays healthy. The pressure will be on, and it will only continue to rise with each passing season until LA reaches its ultimate goal, if it does. The guard can't construct a winning roster around him and Dončić (that's on Rob Pelinka), but it will be on him to do a bulk of the work on the court to get there.
In the end, this could be a deal that Los Angeles looks back on and is glad it made happen, no matter the steep cost, but it could easily go the other way in a world dominated by the tax aprons. The Pistons didn't set out to "ruin" the Lakers by pursuing Reaves, but if he doesn't live up to expectations, that could be how things play out.
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