Lakers News: Pundit Applauds LA for Top 2023 Free Agency Value Deal

LA got quite the bargain here.

The Los Angeles Lakers faced an uncertain future as they headed into this offseason.

They'd just finished a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals and their superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis would be back for a fifth season as teammates -- despite the retirement speculation surrounding the former.

But key role players in their run through the playoffs were set to be free agents, with Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder all slated to hit the open market along with other Lakers.

Fast forward one month though, and the Lakers signed Reaves, Hachimura, and Russell to new contracts and the franchise future looks both bright and stable.

LA's front office exercised shrewd business sense, inking Russell and Hachimura to deals worth roughly $18 and $17 million, respectively.

But it was with Reaves where Los Angeles really struck gold.

They signed the restricted free agent to a four-year, $53.8 million contract, or roughly $13.4 million per season.

It's an incredible bargain for the guard that had a breakout performance in the playoffs -- putting up just shy of 17 points per game along with 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game -- especially in this current age of mega contracts.

LA's earned their fair share of praise for that deal, CBS Sports' Brad Botkin named the contract one of the top value signings of the summer.

"That is an absolute steal for Reaves, who could've helped a lot of teams and enters this season as L.A.'s pretty clear third-best player." (via Brad Botkin)

It's definitely a low-risk contract, considering both Reaves' ascension and the possibility that he could've gotten a contract worth roughly $100 million.

And it's one that will likely pay off very soon for the Lakers if the 25-year-old continues on his current path. Reaves is set to begin his third season in purple and gold this October, and now he'll be donning those famous colors through a sizable portion of his prime -- with a new, team-friendly deal in hand.