Rob Pelinka Says There’s A ‘Mutual Desire’ To Sign A Contract Extension Between Austin Reaves And The Lakers

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka praised Austin Reaves and stated that both he and the Lakers have a mutual desire to extend his stay in L.A.

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Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The 2021-22 season was one to forget for the Los Angeles Lakers, but there was one big positive to come out of that campaign, Austin Reaves. 

Reaves has now established himself as a vital piece for the Lakers, but he will be a free agent in the summer, and there is a lot of speculation about his future. GM Rob Pelinka has now come out and stated that both parties desire an extension to keep him in L.A.

“There’s a mutual desire,” Pelinka said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “Those are the type of guys you want in your program – that it’s team first, it’s sacrifice everything to win a game, competition above individual stats. That’s kind of what the DNA — especially for our young guys — that we wanted to represent. And he’s an example of that.”

Reaves really impressed after the All-Star break this season, averaging 17.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 5.5 APG. It led to him being inserted into the starting lineup, and he impressed in the first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies as well. Reaves averaged 16.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG as the Lakers won the series in six games.

For his part, the 24-year-old has stated that he wants to remain a Laker for his entire career. He did make it clear earlier though, that the NBA is a business at the end of the day and that he wants to make as much money as he can.


The Lakers Would Find It Tough To Match A $60-70 Million Range Contract For Austin Reaves

While the Lakers would be delighted to see Reaves continue to shine in these playoffs, it also means his price tag goes a little bit higher. He will be a restricted free agent, so the Lakers can match whatever offer he gets, but if a team offers him a four-year deal in around the $60-70 million range, then the Lakers would have a hard time matching that, as per NBA insider Shams Charania.

Shams noted that Reaves will give the Lakers every opportunity to try to get a deal done, as he ideally would want to stay. Ultimately though, money talks and if the Lakers are unwilling to give him a deal to his liking, then Reaves might just pack his bags and leave. The fanbase would hate to see that happen, and so would LeBron James, who stated that he loves the guard for his basketball IQ.

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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