This summer, the Los Angeles Lakers could be competing with nearly “every team” in the NBA to keep talented young star Austin Reaves from leaving in free agency.
The 2022-2023 Los Angeles Lakers campaign feels like a tale of two seasons in one. The first half was a struggle as even new head coach Darvin Ham couldn’t find a way to make the trio of Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook work — when they were actually healthy. They were well below .500 and seemed on a course for another season outside the playoffs.
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Then in the new year general manager Rob Pelinka reimagined the roster, finally shipping off Westbrook and the defensive plan Ham installed finally set in. Becoming a trademark of this year’s team. However, a constant throughout the season has been the strong play of second-year man Austin Reaves.
After joining the team as an end-of-the-bench, undrafted free agent last year, he has developed into a starter, a core member of the team, and a favorite of NBA legend Lebron James. However, while Los Angeles Lakers fans have noticed and lauded his growth, the rest of the league has noticed as well. And that is why he could be one of the more sought-after talents in 2023 NBA free agency.
Los Angeles Lakers record (’22-’23): 43-39
On Friday, ESPN posted an in-depth look from NBA writer Dave McMenamin on Reaves’ break-out year, and it included one interesting quote from a rival Western Conference executive who claimed because of his age, upside, and expected contract, “literally every team in the league” could pursue Austin Reaves this summer.
After this season, the Los Angeles Lakers are likely to extend a $2.2 million qualifying offer to the guard and make him a restricted free agent. And due to having his Bird rights, they can then offer a contract that includes over $11 million in the first season.
However, interested teams could offer the proverbial poison pill contract of “$60 million over four years, starting at $11.4 million but leaping to $18.5 million in the final two,” according to ESPN NBA front-office insider Bobby Marks.
- Austin Reaves stats (’22-’23): 13.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 40% 3PT
It will be very interesting to see how the Los Angeles Lakers handle the situation if a team sees enough in the young star to offer him a max deal.