Arguably the most important storyline for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason is Austin Reaves’ restricted free agency and his next contract. Reaves rose to prominence during the 2022-23 season and isn’t just a solid role player, but could be a future all-star with the way he is developing early in his career.
While Reaves’ rise was a key reason why the Lakers were able to make the Western Conference Finals, it also could have ended his Lakers run prematurely. Reaves is certainly going to have a long list of suitors this offseason and while he is a Lakers fan at heart, it is hard to turn down a much larger contract offer if it is on the table.
While Reaves is a free agent, the most the team can sign him to is a four-year, $50.8 million contract, per Spotrac. After the way he played last season and in the playoffs, that would be a huge discount. Other teams can offer Reaves more thanks to the Gilbert Arenas Provision, and with how he played, it is not absurd to think that Reaves could get an annual salary in the ballpark of $18-20 million.
Because of the Arenas provision, that contract would be back-loaded. Another team signing Reaves with cap space can smooth out the cap hit, making his annual cap hit $20 million. The Lakers cannot do that. If they were to match a four-year, $80 million contract, Reaves’ cap hit would be just over $11 million in the first two years then balloon to over $27 million in years three and four.
That creates complications for the Lakers and may lead to Reaves leaving this summer. If so, there is a Western Conference foe that makes perfect sense for the former Oklahoma Sooner.
The Utah Jazz make perfect sense to steal Austin Reaves from the Lakers.
Just about every team in the league should be interested in adding a player like Austin Reaves but not every team makes sense. Utah is one of the few teams that make perfect sense for Reaves, alongside another Western Conference foe in the San Antonio Spurs.
Utah has the cap space to bring in Reaves with no large contracts currently on the books. Spotrac estimates the Jazz to have roughly $45 million in practical cap space once the team’s cap holds are renounced, which is more than enough to open the checkbook for Reaves.
It was believed that Utah was going to go the other direction and tank last season but there was too much young talent on the roster for the team to do that. With a great head coach in Will Hardy and the front-office mind of Danny Ainge, the Jazz are in a great long-term position. That being said, they still are not a superstar free-agent destination.
Instead, slightly overpaying for a player like Reaves might be the best move. He fits the young core perfectly and is only going to get better with age. By the time he is in the third or fourth year of his deal the overpay this offseason might end up being a bargain.
Plus, Reaves has been compared time and time again to Gordon Hayward because of his play style. While the coaching staff and front office are almost completely different, his similarities to Hayward could transition Reaves nicely to Salt Lake City.
Building around a 26-year-old all-star in Lauri Markannen and a 25-year-old who might be knocking on the same door Markannen was knocking on is not a bad idea at all. And even if it doesn’t result in true title contention, it could get Utah even more assets down the line.