Austin Reaves made a surprising sacrifice in his new Lakers contract

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Austin Reaves made a surprising sacrifice in his new Lakers contract

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Jul 13, 2026 6:13 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers entered the offseason with lingering questions about both LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

James will not return to LA, but Reaves signed a four-year deal to return to the Lakers. Initially, it was reported that it would be an $185 million contract, but Jovan Buha of The Athletic mentioned that Reaves took a small pay cut to give the team more financial flexibility.

Update on Austin Reaves’ contract with the Lakers: Final terms are four years, $180 million, with a player option in 2029–30, league sources tell me. Reaves agreed to a lower amount than the previously reported $185 million to help give Los Angeles more future flexibility.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) July 13, 2026

While it might not seem like much of a savings for LA, it does provide them with more financial options going forward.

What Reaves essentially did was take half of the raise he could have gotten (4% instead of 8%) between year 1 and year 2 of his contract. Lines up with Mamu’s dip year.

Shoutout @KeithSmithNBA for the numbers pic.twitter.com/R3MftJsy5l
— Trevor Lane (@TrevorLane) July 13, 2026

Following the blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz that brought Walker Kessler to LA, the Lakers invested another $131 million by signing Quentin Grimes , Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

LA also signed former Golden State Warriors big man Kevon Looney , as well as agreeing to a deal with Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaaire Williams on Monday, so every bit of cap space helps in the long run.

Before free agency, reports stated that Austin Reaves was eyeing a five-year, $240 million max deal, which comes out to an average annual value of $48 million. Instead, he will make an average of $45 million per season.

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