• 0 Shares

• Updated Jun 24, 2026 at 10:02pm

Getty

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - NOVEMBER 30: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers smiles during pregame warmup against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on November 30, 2023 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers signing Austin Reaves to a max contract extension gave both sides relief to move forward with the rest of the offseason. However, Reaves gave his first public comments about his new deal and confirmed that he hated the process. Lakers insider Dan Woike spoke to Reaves and found out that he feared he’d be joining a new team after the early conversation.

Reaves dropped the following quote, via Woike and The Athletic:

“I didn’t like (contract negotiations). It was weird. It just was, I mean, it’s just a lot of ‘What ifs.’ I just like to know where I’m going to be. And even if I was frustrated through the process when we (weren’t) getting the numbers we wanted, the next morning I woke up, it was still the same thing: ‘Hopefully we can get this done today.’”

Reaves confirmed that frustration grew during the process and that the Lakers weren’t agreeing to the numbers his camp wanted. More negotiations took place throughout the week and ended today with the Lakers delivering the offer that Reaves desired. The deal getting done before other teams could bid made it seem like an easy move, but Reaves revealed a lot of negotiating went into the contract with some stressful moments.

Lakers Feared Other Teams Paying Austin Reaves

The quote is rather fascinating since Reaves discussed feeling he’d have to play elsewhere next seasons multiple times throughout this week’s process. Past reports indicated the Brooklyn Nets were hoping to offer a full max contract to make him a major part of their future.

The Detroit Pistons were another team trying to create more money in cap space to outbid the Lakers and provide more help to Cade Cunningham. However, the Lakers eventually realized that Reaves was too important to them to let him hit the free agency market to potentially lose him.

Reaves’ agents going back and forth with the Lakers saw Thursday as the tipping point for Rob Pelinka to offer the big money. The Lakers believe in Reaves behind Luke Doncic and hope to contend for NBA Championships with these two stars on the roster for many years.

Austin Reaves Reveals His Heart Is In Los Angeles

The rest of the quotes shared by Reaves focused more on his happiness in staying with the Lakers rather than only referencing the stressful times. Reaves made it clear that his dream is to remain with the Lakers for the rest of his career.

The following quote revealed how proud Reaves is to spend more time in Los Angeles:

“I didn’t know how negotiations would go. I don’t think Aaron and Reggie really knew how negotiations would go, so we learned a lot throughout the process. But like I said, we wanted to be in L.A., my heart was in L.A., and we got it done.”

Reaves has never shied away from discussing his happiness over playing for the Lakers. The future will determine how long he’ll remain with the franchise. LeBron James becomes the next big story now that the Lakers locked up Reaves for the foreseeable future.