Austin Reaves Congratulates Knicks On Winning NBA Championship

This past season in the NBA featured the New York Knicks winning their first championship since 1973. Now, the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to recreate something similar around Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic.

New York traded for or signed most of their talent in an NBA that leans towards drafting and developing players. They built their organization from the ground up, and people like Reaves are taking notice. He got to play alongside Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson on Team USA during FIBA play in 2023, and the Lakers star is happy for them after they won a title.

“Yeah, for sure. I got to know some of those guys when I played the USA team with Mikal, Josh and JB,” Reaves recently said on the Dan Patrick Show. “Great dudes, couldn’t ask for better humans and I think that shows on the basketball court. They care for one another, they play for one another and that’s like you said, that’s something you want to build.”

Los Angeles finds itself in a similar position as New York a few years ago, essentially having an entirely new team. Every starter that started Game 1 against the Houston Rockets is gone, creating interesting storylines for this season.

However, there is a foundation in place with their backcourt, which is similar to the Knicks with Brunson. Talking heads questioned if New York could contend for a title with him given his defensive shortcomings, but they put together a perfect team are him.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has also needed to find players to cover up those defensive weaknesses Doncic and Reaves possess. Walker Kessler helps in a major way, as the foundation is being set and time will tell if it works.

Cade Cunningham tried to recruit Austin Reaves to Pistons

Retaining Reaves was a priority for the Lakers this offseason, but unrestricted free agency can often complicate things. Fortunately, Los Angeles had the ability to negotiate with Reaves right after the NBA Finals.

Rumors suggested that teams were positioning themselves to lure the guard away from L.A., and one of those teams was the Detroit Pistons. Reportedly, Pistons star Cade Cunningham was doing his part to try and recruit Reaves to Michigan.

Ultimately, the Lakers offered Reaves a maximum contract to stay, and he accepted it before ever reaching free agency so Cunningham and the Pistons never got the chance to truly make their pitch.