Austin Reaves‘ career is starting to take serious shape toward potentially becoming the greatest undrafted player in NBA history, a feat that will not be easy to achieve, considering names like Ben Wallace and John Starks are in that conversation.
Although he had a chance to be the 42nd pick in the second round by the Detroit Pistons, he chose to bet on himself and sign a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and it turned out to be a home run.
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After recently declining his $14.9 million player option for next season, which will make him an unrestricted free agent, the 6-foot-5 guard is now eligible for a five-year, $241 million contract.
In an exclusive interview with “Basketball Network“, his brother Spencer reflected on the incredible career path of his younger brother.
“Yeah, I think, I mean, when you’re able to secure a contract like this, it’s life-changing,” Reaves said.
“Any NBA money is life-changing, almost. And to be at the level that he is and it’s kind of like I described earlier, of starting at a certain level and continuing to improve and working your way up, from where he was his rookie year to where he is now, he could have possibly been an All-Star this year if he didn’t get injured. Yeah, I would say that I would be lying to you if I said I believed that was gonna happen.”
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“Like, I thought he was special and I thought he could possibly be an NBA player one day, but did I think he would be this so quickly? No. No, I don’t think anybody did,” he added. “That’s the historic part. Yeah, I mean, maybe him, but I honestly don’t even know if he thought he could, but he has that crazy confidence, that irrational confidence that he talked about on the podcast as well,” Spencer explained.
The eight-highest-paid active player
Spencer’s younger brother would, with that deal, become the eighth highest-paid active player in the entire league and the highest-paid Laker in franchise history.
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The fact that he could achieve this while sharing a locker room with LeBron James and Luka Doncic is just further proof that Reaves has truly reached the highest NBA level.
Considering his background as an Oklahoma product, his story truly feels like something out of Hollywood, but Spencer emphasizes that the focus should remain on finishing the season first.
“And I think it’s just part of that, the competition part,” Reaves stressed. “Like, I’m gonna try to win. I’m gonna try to be the best I can in every situation. And yeah, it’s done well for him so far. And I think he’s earned a big contract and, yeah, he loves L.A. and I guess we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, they go win a championship and compete for a championship this year, and then he worries about free agency after that.”
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Reaves is having a career year
Although it’s hard to believe that the 27-year-old from Arkansas isn’t already thinking about a contract that could change his life, his focus is largely on winning the Larry O’Brien trophy this season.
Purple and Gold squad is currently third in a very competitive Western Conference, and in this scenario they would avoid the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder until the Western Conference finals, where they would certainly have their chance.
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His averages of 23.4 points, 5.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals on 48.9 percent shooting and 87.0 percent from the free-throw line have definitely helped the Lakers reach contender status, and had he met the 65-game rule, he would surely have been in the mix for postseason awards.
But if J.J. Redick’s team goes all the way this season and Reaves signs an extension with the Lakers, it’s hard to imagine he would lose any sleep over not capping the best season of his career with an individual accolade.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.