Austin Reaves, a guard for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, is set to continue his success story as an undrafted player.
The Associated Press reported Friday, Korea time, citing multiple sources, that the 28-year-old Reaves will decline his $14.9 million (about 23 billion won) player option for the 2026-2027 season and sign a new four-year deal worth $185 million (285.3 billion won) with the Lakers.
A University of Oklahoma product, Reaves went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft, with no team selecting him. Joining the Lakers as an undrafted player, he established himself as one of the league's top playmakers through steady growth, despite his relatively modest height of 196 centimeters.
Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in the 2025-2026 season, and contributed significantly to the Lakers' playoff berth even after suffering two injuries during the season. While Reaves could have become a free agent after the 2025-2026 season, he reportedly chose to continue with the Lakers, the team that gave him a chance at the draft.
