November 6, 2021; Portland, Oregon, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves (15) warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Austin Reaves’ free agency could be a problem for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.
Reaves is an undrafted player from Oklahoma who signed a 2-year, $2.49 million deal with the Lakers in September 2021. He will be a restricted free agent after the season, but other teams are expected to have interest in him.
Marc Stein recently said he thinks some teams will outbid the Lakers for Reaves.
The Lakers can offer Reaves around $50 million over four years. They’ll have the right to match any offer for the guard, but other teams could make it really expensive for the Lakers by signing Reaves to a big offer sheet. Other teams could also delay the contracts to make it even more difficult for the Lakers.
Any money the Lakers spend to match a contract for Reaves will also limit their ability to bring back D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder, both of whom will be unrestricted free agents.
Reaves has emerged as a key player on the Lakers’ roster. While LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the main options, Reaves has been an extremely consistent weapon.
Reaves is averaging 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this postseason. In the regular season, the 24-year-old has averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on 52.9 percent shooting.
