Austin Reaves Contract Sticker Shock

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]You let's say in theory, cuz Luka, even like by, you know, NBA standards, Luka's will still relatively be underpaid compared to the rest of his peers.

[00:00:09]Um So, like I think if if let's say Austin is making 40 next season, which again, I'm not not other names, LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Maxey, they'll be making 40 next season. Brandon Ingram, 40 next season.

[00:00:21]Uh Let's say he gets a 40, Luka's making 51, like that's 90 million between your top in theory, your top two players, which in today's NBA isn't really a lot.

[00:00:31]For context, like Jamal Murray, who will maybe making 50 next season, and Jokic will be making 59, like they're making 109 together. So, it's actually like for your top two players, it's not a a whole lot. However, it does put a magnifying glass on every other roster spot. Okay.

[00:00:49]So, it it's not it doesn't destroy your roster building tools, but it does make it more difficult. The the other point actually has come to has come to my mind talking about this. I think some of the sticker shock is the fact that Austin has been underpaid for so much of his career, especially this last contract. It's in like his story, undrafted, like we've we've gone through his story. I think some people are having a hard time thinking of like, this guy's been underpaid for so long, he's made X amount for so long. Now it's time to actually pay him his value. He's like, oh shoot, like that's not we're not used to that. People aren't used used to that. Cuz the reality is, he should have been making more money his last deal.

[00:01:27]>> Sure. No, you're not wrong on that. He was definitely underpaid in his last deal. Um I I think for me again, I come back to if this was like it's not the best maybe example, but if you if there was no salary cap in basketball, then I don't care, right?

[00:01:45]Because then you're like, well, you could still fill in every hole that you have, but you're trying to put together this puzzle, and you know that you only have so many pieces to play with, and that's what starts making it, you know, that's what obviously starts making it more complicated. And frankly, if I'm being blunt about it, I don't think Reeves has really helped himself in some of these playoff performances. And we could say that, you know, obviously we could say injuries, this and that, but um I don't think he's really helped himself.