Making history for undrafted players! The Lakers' $185 million extension for Reaves is just absurd.

Shams broke the news: Reaves officially declined his $14.9 million player option for next season and agreed to a 4-year, $185 million max contract extension with the Lakers.

This mega contract, which includes a player option for the 2029-30 season, shattered a long-standing record, becoming the largest contract ever given to an undrafted player in NBA history.

Brother Di's feelings are all captured in the headline: "Absurd."

For Reaves personally, landing this contract is already absurd.

Looking at the salary history of undrafted players, the previous benchmark was Fred VanVleet's 3-year, $128.5 million contract. Subsequent deals for quality undrafted players like Naz Reid, Duncan Robinson, and Luguentz Dort failed to surpass that ceiling.

Reaves' contract, averaging over $46 million per year, directly creates a tier gap, resets the salary ceiling for undrafted players, and places him among the league's top star salary brackets.

A white guard, from going undrafted to a two-way contract, then converting to a 2-year, $2.49 million minimum deal, followed by a 4-year, $56.25 million extension, and now a $185 million max contract.

If you guys reading this still need to write essays, Reaves' story would make excellent material about dreams, inspiration, and hardship...

However, from the Lakers' perspective, it's also pretty "absurd."

When I saw this news last night, my first reaction was that they gave him way too much.

This is an extension that profoundly affects the Lakers' team-building structure for years to come, meaning:

1. The extension must have been approved by Luka Doncic.

2. Reaves and Doncic will form the Lakers' backcourt core.

But can it work? I'm pessimistic.

Let's ask it from a different perspective:How do the current Lakers need to adjust and improve to challenge the Spurs and Thunder?

At least for the next two seasons, it's hard to see much hope.

They need to bolster the frontcourt, right?

They also need help on the wings, right?

When two players with negative defensive impact are the team's stars taking up nearly $100 million in salary, it's just tough...

Regarding Reaves.

What's understandable from the Lakers' side is that if they didn't pay this amount, they probably wouldn't have been able to keep him.

This past season, he transformed and became a key pillar for the Lakers on both ends of the floor.

In the regular season, he averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, shooting 49% from the field, 36% from three, and 87.1% from the free-throw line, with his offensive and defensive efficiency ranking among the league's upper tier.

Especially during key stretches when LeBron James rested or was absent, Reaves shouldered the Lakers' offensive burden, using his steady ball-handling drives, accurate perimeter shooting, and mature playmaking to lead the team to multiple tough victories.

This is something that must be acknowledged.

However, the core of all doubts points to one unavoidable reality: whenever the playoff intensity ramps up, Reaves' performance takes a cliff-like drop.

His stability in high-stakes games is severely lacking, and he doesn't possess the kind of clutch dominance expected of top-tier stars.

If he had returned earlier in the series against the Rockets, the Lakers might not have even made it past the first round.

When they faced the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, a team with a solid defensive system and intense wing pressure, his performance collapsed...

And the Thunder will certainly be a major Western Conference rival for the Lakers in the coming years.

If Reaves were earning $30-35 million per year, he would be a great value.

But compared to top guards in the same salary range around the league, superstars often elevate their efficiency and carry their teams in the playoffs, while Reaves does the opposite—high-intensity defense significantly shrinks his offensive space, exposing his shooting and physical limitations.

In the playoffs, when referees don't give him calls, his physical ability becomes a major weakness.

A player making $46 million a year who can't figure out how to perform in the playoffs...