Austin Reaves will be getting a massive payday this off-season.
The second-year guard and Chinese company Rigorer are finalizing a signature shoe deal that is expected to reach well over seven figures per year, according to Stadium’s Shams Charania.
Reaves is feeling excited and “blessed” about the opportunity at such an early stage of his career.
“If you had told me I’d have a signature shoe at 18, I would have looked at you and called you a liar,” the Lakers guard told Charania on his “Inside the Association” show on Thursday. “There’s probably 20-something people in the NBA that have a signature shoe so honestly I’m blessed to be playing basketball for a living and I need to pinch myself sometimes to really understand what’s going on.”
The 25-year-old is coming off his best season yet, averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists a night on 53-40-86 shooting splits.
He also had a stellar postseason run, which included 21.2 points per game in the Lakers’ matchup against the Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
Reaves’ shoe, the Rigrorer AR1, was announced back in April, but his performance in this past playoff run certainly helped his case in getting the exorbitant contract from the company.
This offseason will also see Reaves hit the market as a restricted free agent.
Considering his steady improvement during his two-year NBA career so far and his potential as a starting guard in the league, he will certainly be a coveted asset.
With the Lakers having his “Early Bird” rights, the team can offer a maximum of four years for $50.8 million – but the market, however, may say he is worth closer to a four-year, $80 million deal.
No matter who ends up signing the guard this offseason, he will be getting paid.