Lakers’ Austin Reaves Seems to Shade Pistons to Fan: ‘I’m Not Going to Detroit’
Reaves made the comment during a golf tournament.
Apparently Austin Reaves is not a fan of the Motor City.
At a recent golf tournament that the Los Angeles Lakers guard was playing in, a fan said, “We need you on the Pistons Austin.” Reaves quickly replied, “I’m not going to Detroit.”
Ice cold and harsh, but fair.
The Pistons are coming off a horrific season in which they finished an NBA-worst 14–68. To put that in perspective, the champion Boston Celtics won more games in the playoffs than the Pistons won during the regular season. At one point, Detroit tied an NBA-record with 28 straight losses.
It was the second season in a row the Pistons had the league’s worst record as they went 17–65 during the 2022–23 season. So, yeah, it’s safe to say Motown isn’t exactly a desirable destination for NBA players right now. On top of that, the Pistons just fired Monty Williams, who has long been a respected head coach around the league.
Reaves just finished the first season of a four-year, $53.8 million contract he signed last offseason. He has become a key piece of the Lakers rotation as they attempt to make another title run in the twilight of LeBron James’s career. During the 2023–24 season, Reaves set career-highs in points (15.9), rebounds (4.3), assists (5.5) and minutes (32.1) per game. There’s no reason to think the 26-year-old can’t improve upon those numbers.
Sorry Pistons fans. Austin Reaves isn’t going to Detroit.
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Klay Thompson Would ‘Love’ to Join One of Warriors’ Biggest Rivals: Report
Klay Thompson could be on his way out of the Golden State Warriors organization this summer and if he has his druthers, he will end up with one of the team’s biggest rivals.
Stephen A. Smith of ESPN reported during the Monday, June 17 edition of “First Take” that Thompson would “love” to link up with the Los Angeles Lakers for the latter stages of his career.
“In a perfect world, Klay would love to be in Los Angeles,” Smith said. “We all know that. I’m talking about the Lakers. I mean, could you imagine?”
Thompson’s father, Mychal Thompson, played 13 seasons in the NBA. His final four came with the Lakers, where he won two championship rings.
Klay Thompson Retains Considerable Value as NBA Starter
Unfortunately for Lakers fans — or perhaps fortunately, depending on how they view Thompson’s relative decline since 2019 when back-to-back ACL and Achilles injuries sidelined him for the following two and a half years — imagining on the matter is all they’ll likely be able to do.
Smith went on to note that salary cap constrictions in Los Angeles render the addition of Thompson a long shot, at best. Smith also added that he believes the New York Knicks are a more likely destination for Thompson due to their needs in free agency this summer along with the cap space at their disposal.
The dip in Thompson’s play is significant when considered in the context of who he was before his injuries. Thompson earned trips to five consecutive All-Star Games between 2015-19, during which the Warriors went to five consecutive NBA Finals and won three rings.
Playing alongside two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Thompson averaged between 20-22.3 points per game in all five of those seasons, making between 7.1 and 8.3 shots at 3-point range and shooting between 40.2% and 44% overall.
According to Basketball Reference, Thompson, who is currently 34 years old, averaged 17.9 points per game and 38.7% from deep in 2023–24. Despite this, Thompson’s floor spacing abilities and ability to score points on any given night make him a valuable asset as a potential third or fourth starter on a contending team. Salaries are already skyrocketing across the league and are expected to continue trending in that direction as new television deals are about to be signed.
This is especially true in the Easter Conference, where rivalry is not quite as fierce as it has grown to be in the West.
Klay Thompson Wants at Least 3 Years on New Deal
Thompson is no longer in the conversation as arguably the top two-way wing player in the league, as his defensive abilities and versatility have dropped off. That said, he is still a reasonable defender, which renders him a high-end three-and-D player in the league.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has floated the Orlando Magic as a potential landing spot, to go along with Smith mentioning that the Knicks would be a good team to contact in order to get Thompson’s services. The team that signs Thompson this summer, be it the Warriors, Lakers, Knicks, Magic, or another team, would most likely need to provide an offer to the shooting guard that lasts at least three years in order to close the deal.
On June 17, Montage Poole of NBA Sports said, “Thompson realizes he won’t see anything like his expiring contract, a five-year max worth $190 million.” “League sources say he’s looking for a three-year deal at the very least.”
Prior to the previous season, Thompson was offered a $48 million two-year contract by Golden State, but he turned it down.
