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Lakers Sign Austin Reaves, Abandon Failed Herro Trade.

6/29/2026

45 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Austin Reaves to a four-year, $185 million contract.
The team had explored a contingency trade for Tyler Herro before finalizing Reaves’ deal.
Trade talks would have sent Herro and center Kel'el Ware to Los Angeles for multiple first-round picks.
The Heat later traded Herro and Ware to the Milwaukee Bucks in a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, ending the Lakers’ pursuit.

History

Historical Context

In July 1996 the Los Angeles Lakers signed free-agent center Shaquille O’Neal to a seven-year, $120 million contract. The deal arrived as the Lakers also drafted Kobe Bryant, marking the start of a league-wide shift toward allocating huge cap space for star players. That approach still shapes contemporary multi-year, multi-hundred-million contracts across the NBA.

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Story summary

The Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Austin Reaves to a four-year, $185 million contract.
The team had explored a contingency trade for Tyler Herro before finalizing Reaves’ deal.
Trade talks would have sent Herro and center Kel'el Ware to Los Angeles for multiple first-round picks.
The Heat later traded Herro and Ware to the Milwaukee Bucks in a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, ending the Lakers’ pursuit.

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