Lakers’ $53,827,872 Star Austin Reaves Couldn’t Help But “Wonder” About Playing With 7’5 Victor Wembanyama While Spurs Considered $21 Million/yr Briefly

Following a two promising seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Austin Reaves continues his journey with the LA side. The 25-year-old star signed up a 4-year contract with the Lakers for $54 million in the offseason. However, it isn’t like no other teams approached him when he was a free agent. Especially the San Antonio Spurs, which recently roped in Victor Wembanyama, were determined to get Reaves. Nevertheless, the star decided to stay with the gold and purple. But he recently opened up the offseason trade offer.

The Spurs have brought out their A-game for the offseason trade. Firstly, they picked 7’5 tall Wembanyama as the first overall pick in 2023 NBA draft. Apart from him, they roped in several promising talents like Sidy Cissoko, Cedi Osman, and Cameron Payne. However, they haven’t traded in every player they wished to add to their roster. And one of them was Austin Reaves.

Austin Reaves opens up about the playing alongside Victor Wembanyama

During Austin Reaves’ free agency, many teams wished to trade him to their roster. Notably, the two-season old star has emerged as one of the starters for the Lakers during the latter part of the 2022-23 season. Moreover, HoopsHype reported that the Spurs considered offering $21 million per season to Reaves. On the other hand, the Lakers were keen to retain their rising star, as they were ready to match any offer. Importantly, Sports Illustrated said that the Spurs could have offered more than the current contract ($53,827,827) which Reaves had signed.

While the media report the number games and inside news, Austin Reaves himself opened about the trade drama. In the recent episode of The Lowe Post with Zach Lowe, he spoke about his mindset during his free agency and playing alongside Victor Wembanyama. When asked if he ever thought to consider the Spurs’ offer, Reaves said, ” it definitely creeps into your mind obviously… but I didn’t think that there was any way that the Lakers didn’t match.” 

Moreover, he revealed that the team made it clear to match whatever offer comes his way. He also added, “At the end of the day, I wanted to be in LA. I love it out here.”

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Speaking of Wemby, he said, “So much upside with him, your mind kind of wanders just into that basketball world just to know what that would be like.”

Which other team looked to rob Austin Reaves?

Apart from the Spurs, it was the Houston Rockets which tried its luck at Reaves. The Rockets also went all out to get him but, the hefty Fred VanVleet $130 million contract made them pull out. Despite the high offer, Reaves seems loyal to the franchise. Moreover, the team had also promised to match whatever offer comes his way.

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Will Austin Reaves break out in the upcoming season, considering the overflowing offseason trade offers? Let us know in the comments below.