Austin Reaves is expected to draw plenty of interest as a restricted free agent this summer, but the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly going to fight hard to bring him back.
The Lakers can offer Reaves around $50 million over four years, but the 25-year-old is expected to receive offers that far exceed that. Jovan Buha of The Athletic said on the Hoops Hype podcast this week that L.A. is willing to pay as much as $100 million to keep Reaves.
“The Lakers are going to match any contract offer sheet that he signs up to that $100 million,” Buha said. “The Lakers view him as the third-best player on this team if you look at the regular season and postseason he had.”
Buha added that multiple teams are expected to pursue Reaves, including the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. The reporter believes Reaves is “priority No. 1” for the Lakers this offseason and that they learned their lesson when they chose not to match the offer sheet Alex Caruso signed with the Chicago Bulls.
Reaves elevated his game during the postseason. He averaged 16.9 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game after averaging 13.0 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds during the regular season. He became a regular starter in the playoffs.
If the Lakers are truly willing to pay $100 million to bring Reaves back, that is likely further evidence that they may let another key player walk.
