NBA Free Agency, Day 2: Lakers re-sign Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, add Jaxson Hayes

NBA free agency is barely 48 hours in the books, and the Lakers have managed to tie up more or less all of the loose ends facing them when the period began. The 1a priority was retaining Austin Reaves and 1b was retaining D'Angelo Russell, and by lunchtime on the west coast, both were in the bag. Russell is reportedly returning on a two-year deal worth $37M, with a player option for the second season. A fair deal that offers flexibility on both sides, and should allow Russell to settle into a comfort zone where he can bounce back from a Western Conference Finals that left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. As for Reaves, it was never a question of whether he'd be back, but at what price, as the Lakers and Team Reaves waited to see if another franchise called the Lakers' messaging of a willingness to match any offer for the restricted free agent. As it turned out, things just got wrapped up posthaste. Four years, $56M, with a player option for the last season. Assuming Reaves continues to improve - or even just maintains status quo - that's a straight up bargain, folks. From there, the Lakers added big man Jaxson Hayes on a two-year, veteran's minimum deal, with a player option for the second season. The youngster has a lot of athleticism and hops, and showed flashes in New Orleans, but has been marred by tons of inconsistency. Hopefully, Phil Handy, Darvin Ham, LeBron James and the Lakers' general culture can unlock the best in Hayes, because unless another big man is brought on board at a vet min who outplays him, Hayes will need to hold down the important position of "backup center/dude who fills in during Anthony Davis' inevitable absences." All that said, two days of nice work for Rob Pelinka, who has the team, at minimum, in as good of a place as where they left off after the WCF loss. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! eBay Motors For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. PrizePicks First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices