Austin Reaves, one of the breakout stars of the 2023 NBA playoffs, could have been a member of the Detroit Pistons.
Instead, he said no thanks after they essentially lowballed him.
Reaves recently made an appearance on “All the Smoke,” a Showtime podcast hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, on which he reminded Pistons fans he could have been part of their core.
This dates to the 2021 NBA draft, the same year the Pistons won the draft lottery and selected Cade Cunningham at No. 1 overall. The Pistons also held multiple picks in the top half of the second round, including selections No. 37 (later traded to Charlotte) and No. 42.
Reaves played two seasons at Wichita State before eventually transferring to Oklahoma, sitting out a season, and playing two years with the Sooners. He averaged 18.3 points as a senior with 4.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds, a strong preview of the all-around game he has displayed in the NBA through two seasons.
Reaves, 25, previously had said the Pistons let his agents know they wanted to take him at No. 42 and offer him a two-way contract, but he apparently wasn’t interested in that type of deal. He said on “All the Smoke” that every team from No. 42 and on were only offering him a two-way contract, thus he preferred to go undrafted and get the same offer from a team he thought would put him in a better situation. The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers topped the list.
“Everything comes full circle, and all I needed was an opportunity and I knew that,” Reaves said.
“My agency put me in a good position to, you know, have all of that. We could’ve gotten drafted 42nd to Detroit but kind of declined that to put me in L.A. for a better spot.”
Before the 2021-22 season, the Lakers quickly promoted Reaves and signed him for two years and $2.5 million.
That move paid off for both parties in Year 2, as Reaves started in the backcourt down the stretch last season and helped guide the Lakers to the Western Conference finals. He averaged 16.9 points on excellent efficiency (56.4 effective field goal percentage) and 4.6 assists in 16 playoff games.
After hitting restricted free agency this summer and signing a four-year, $53 million deal with the Lakers, Reaves’ bet on himself has turned out even better.
THE FUTURE: Pistons buzz over Summer League and young core boils down to one guy
But why did he and his agency feel the Pistons were not a good option during that July 2021 draft?
It’s reasonable to assume Reaves thought he would be a better fit with a win-now team in need of youth in the backcourt. The Pistons, coming off a 20-52 season, already had invested heavily in two young guards. Killian Hayes was coming off his rookie year and the team had just drafted Cunningham as the face of the franchise.
Reaves explained his agency had broken down teams into tiers. When he mentioned Detroit calling to potentially select him, Barnes did not have nice things to say about the franchise.
“That shouldn’t be on nobody’s tier … if we being honest,” Barnes said, which was met with laughter.
“You said it, not me,” Reaves responded.
The Pistons, after listening to Reaves’ agency and passing on him, pivoted and took Michigan forward Isaiah Livers at No. 42.
The odd part: Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, then in his second draft, gave Livers a two-year guaranteed contract ($4.5 million over three years with a team option on the final year). Reaves said the Pistons weren’t offering him that deal.
PISTONS OWNER: Rebuild has taken long enough. It’s time to win now
Livers was also coming off foot surgery which prematurely ended his college career, and played in 19 games during his rookie season. He has shot the ball well from 3-point range at 37.8% in 71 games in his two years and has shown he is a solid team defender. The Pistons this summer picked up his cheap $1.8 million team option for the 2023-24 season. The Pistons drafted Ausar Thompson at No. 5 overall, giving them more options on the wing and more competition for Livers, who can be a restricted free agent next summer. We’ll see what role he earns under new head coach Monty Williams.
The Pistons’ interest in Reaves turned out to be validated, but like the rest of the league, they failed to properly value him. That might continue to sting for a while.
Listen to “The Pistons Pulse” with new episodes each week, wherever you listen to podcasts. Catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.