Lakers News: FS1 Analyst Bashes LA's Potential Contract Offer to Austin Reaves

Is Austin Reaves really worth a maxed contract?

Colin Cowherd. One of the best sports talk show hosts in America is spiraling again, and this time, he is talking about the contract situation between the Los Angeles Lakers and Austin reaves. 

On Wednesday morning, Cowherd hopped on his Fox Sports 1 show, "The Herd with Colin Cowherd", to express his reaction to Marc Stein's report that the Lakers are willing to match anything in order to keep Austin Reaves. 

And let's just say, Cowherd was baffled by that idea. 

"Are the Lakers getting delusional because they found him?"

— @ColinCowherd plays the blind resume game with Austin Reaves pic.twitter.com/CAqw51WYEI

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) June 28, 2023

“The Lakers, league sources say, are a lock to match any offer on Reaves — even if someone signs Reaves to the maximum allowable offer sheet worth nearly $100 million over four years.”

NBA Expert, Marc Stein, reports on Lakers plan for the re-signing of Austin Reaves

Per the quote above, this tweet/report that was made by Stein has been recently deleted, so that kind of ideology does seem a bit off, and Cowherd has given plenty of reasons as to why this is a shocking offer to make. 

Averaging 10.3 points per game, 2.6 assists per game, and a 36.3% field goal percentage from the perimeter, Cowherd has compared his stats to similar players that are not considered as "super-maxed" contract players. 

Players like, Mac McClung, Kelly Olynyk, Grayson Allen, and former Laker, Patrick Beverley, all averaged about the same numbers as Reaves, yet the undrafted player out of Oklahoma is the one being offered lucrative deals across the league. 

Now, as fantastic Austin Reaves was in the Lakers Western Conference Final run in last year's playoffs, Cowherd does make a great point here. Are the Lakers just trying to keep Reaves because they are the ones that found him when he was undrafted in 2021? 

There is no doubt about his potential, and that is exactly what his value is based off of, but is he really worth a max contract? 

If the reports from Stein are true, then the Lakers think so and they are willing to take that gamble.