NBA news: Right now, Austin Reaves has firmly established himself as one of the most important players on the Los Angeles Lakers roster. The fact that they signed him to a four-year extension worth a whopping $56 million is a clear testament to this fact. Needless to say, this young man has gone a long way since going undrafted a couple of years ago.
NBA News: Austin Reaves Reveals Bucks Was No. 1 On His List
Feb 9, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) defends Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) as he drives to the basket in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports (NBA News)
Reaves recently guested on the All the Smoke podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. There were more than a few interesting topics of conversation, but one that stood out is the part where the former Wichita State and University of Oklahoma standout revealed that he nearly joined the Milwaukee Bucks back in 2021.
According to Reaves, he had a list of teams he preferred to go to if given the opportunity. Apparently, Milwaukee was at the very top of that list:
“Basically, we tiered teams — best fit for me,” Reaves said. “LA was I think (number) two on the list at the time. Milwaukee might have been one. But [the Lakers] were tier one.”
The Bucks passed on Reaves, though. It was the Lakers who gave him the chance, and when they called, Reaves just knew this was the perfect opportunity for him.
NBA News: Austin Reaves Bet on Himself in 2021 NBA Draft
Austin Reaves also revealed that he actually had the chance to get drafted. He said that he had a conversation with the Detroit Pistons wherein they offered to take him in the second round. Reaves decided to bet on himself by passing on that chance:
“We could have got drafted 42nd to Detroit, but declined that to put me in LA for a better spot,” Reaves said. “… I didn’t really have to hear my name called either. I mean, obviously, I wanted to, but it was all about playing the long game.”
Austin Reaves on declining the Detroit Pistons to join the Lakers pic.twitter.com/L4Kuw4m6QT
— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) July 20, 2023
Boy was that the right decision for Austin Reaves. The rest, as they say, is history.
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