Kofi Inkoom
Austin Reaves acknowledges that he briefly considered the idea of playing alongside Victor Wembanyama for the Spurs.
Following an impressive season with the Lakers, Reaves secured a substantial four-year, $56 million contract to remain with Los Angeles as a restricted free agent during the offseason.
Despite receiving interest from other teams, including the Spurs, Reaves ultimately made the decision to stay loyal to the Lakers, a choice he always preferred. He shared this insight during his appearance on The Lowe Post with Zach Lowe.
“It definitely creeps into your mind, obviously, a little bit of talks back and forth, something possibly coming to life,” Reaves said. “But I didn’t think there was any way the Lakers didn’t match whatever was offered.”
Despite San Antonio’s poor performance in the previous season, it resulted in them securing the top overall pick in the draft.
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With that valuable pick, the Spurs chose the exceptional French talent, Victor Wembanyama, a selection seen as pivotal for the franchise’s future.
Reaves mentioned that having Wembanyama on the Spurs’ roster did make the prospect of playing in San Antonio somewhat appealing to him.
“You hear things, and obviously with Wembanyama, so much upside with him, your mind kind of wanders into that basketball world, what that would be like,” Reaves said.
During the previous season, Reaves maintained averages of 13 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds across 64 games.
However, his statistics experienced a noticeable uptick during the playoffs, where he delivered an impressive 16.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game in 16 postseason appearances.
Furthermore, Reaves showcased his exceptional skills on the international stage by leading the United States to a fourth-place finish in the FIBA World Cup.