Headline: Recent Dating Rumors of Austin Reaves and Taylor Swift Officially Makes Him A Hollywood Star, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka Now Will Have to Offer at Least $100M to Keep the Rising Star
Austin Reaves officially can be dubbed a star. Rumors floated around he was spotted with pop star Taylor Swift at an Arkansas bar earlier last week. Those rumors ran wild on social media, and his brother had to intervene to let the world know that they were not true.
The 6-foot-5 guard went from undrafted bench player to a star during the Lakers’ postseason run to the Western Conference finals. The team did a complete makeover of their roster by shipping Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz and acquiring D’angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura in two other trades at the NBA trade deadline. Head coach Darvin Ham also inserted Austin into the starting lineup, and the team took off.
Now Reaves’ off-the-court life has taken off as well, according to the social media rumors.
Officially A Star
The dating rumors mean Austin is officially a star in a city filled with stars. It is one thing to play in the NBA, but it’s something entirely different when you play for the Lakers. Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, and even the late great Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss embodied the Hollywood lifestyle.
Buss embraced the term ‘Showtime’ and took the phrase to a whole new meaning. He encouraged the Hollywood stars to sit courtside during games and he brought the nightlife vibe to NBA games. He also made being a Lakers girl the premiere job by revamping the image of them in the 1980s.
Now Austin has former Lakers’ legends to thank for the recent dating rumors. Spencer Reaves delivered a series of tweets to shut down the rumors.
“People believe everything huh (laughing emojis),” Spencer wrote.
Ron Thompson responded, “I just wanna know what bar he took her to.”
“Austin going to the bar is the most unrealistic part of this whole thing,” replied Spencer.
Contract Talk
The dating rumors might not be true, but the contract rumors could be. Austin is in line for a big payday after he finished the 2022-23 season strong. He averaged 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists per game in the regular season.
His numbers rose in the postseason to prove to Lakers fans that his regular season was no fluke. He averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in the playoffs.
The Lakers, who own Reaves’ Early Bird rights, are allowed offer him at most a contract for four years that is worth a little over $50 million. Other teams could potentially offer him as high as $98 million. Should this happen, the Arenas rule would allow the Lakers to match Reaves’ offer with a heavily backloaded contract that has most of the money in the final two years of the deal.
The Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons all have the most money to spend this offseason. Rockets are focused on bringing back James Harden. The Pistons could be a sleeper team to sign Austin, which will be a nice piece to add to their young and talented roster. As for contenders, the Grizzlies could see him as a replacement for Dillon Brooks. He brings better shooting, more production, and less drama to a young team in search of a new identity.
He certainly will be the most sought after non-star player this offseason, and the Lakers will have to make a competitive offer to keep him in Hollywood.
