The Lakers have reached an agreement with the unrestricted free agent Austin Reaves, which will grant him a four-year, $56 million contract, the maximum allowed by the Lakers.
As a former undrafted free agent, Reaves made his mark in the starting lineup, where he solidified his position among the team’s core with an average of 16.9 points per game, shooting over 44% from three-point range. Throughout the regular season, he was one of the team’s most skilled players, shooting 52.9% from the field.
Reaves’ contract includes a player option for the final season.
He has joined the Lakers as a member of the team’s “Young Core,” alongside forward Rui Hachimura and point guard D’Angelo Russell, whom General Manager Rob Pelinka stated would be a priority in free agency. The Lakers reached an agreement with all three of them in less than 24 hours of free agency.
On Saturday, Russell agreed to a two-year, $36 million deal with the team, with a player option for the second year.
These agreements come at a time when the Lakers are nearing the end of an aggressive start to free agency, as they have also agreed to a two-year deal with former New Orleans center Jaxson Hayes. On Friday, the Lakers also agreed to deals with guard Gabe Vincent, forward Torian Prince, and forward Cam Reddish.
Lakers defeat four, including Rui Hachimura, on the first day of free agency
The Lakers acquired Russell in a trade with the NBA’s deadline, which also involved Westbrook, a move that helped reshape the team’s season before the Western Conference Finals.
After the trade, Russell averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game, shooting 41.4% from three-point range. He played a significant role in the Lakers’ victory in the post-season, particularly against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors, before being benched in Game 4.
He will return to the backcourt, where Vincent is also included.
Hayes is a backup center that the Lakers wanted to play behind Anthony Davis.
At 6’11”, Hayes is seen by the Lakers as a physical player and believes he can play a role similar to Dwight Howard in 2020 when the Lakers won their 17th NBA title.
Hayes spent his first four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he averaged 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 13.0 minutes per game last season. He played only 47 games due to injury, with two of them as a starter.
In July 2021, he was sentenced to 450 hours of community service, 52 weeks of domestic violence classes, and three years of probation after not contesting two misdemeanor charges stemming from an incident with his girlfriend in Woodland Hills last year.
Hayes was the first-round draft pick from Texas in 2019, selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 8th overall pick. In a multi-player trade immediately following the draft, he was acquired by the New Orleans Pelicans from the Hawks.
