How much money is Austin Reaves going to make on his new Lakers deal?
It's funny that so many fans have pushed back against the notion that Reaves might earn a $40 million AAV on his contract, as if lesser players aren't currently making similar money in the NBA. Indeed, estimates around the league point to AR getting something in the realm of a five-year, $200 million deal, which, by the way, falls short of the $241 million over five years that Reaves is technically eligible for.
But why wouldn't the Lakers give Reaves the full max?
It would help the Lakers massively if they could sign Reaves to a figure below the max, given all of their other roster needs, and given the possible return of LeBron James. If AR were to sign for the full $241 million, the Lakers would end up with a much worse roster around him, Luka, and Bron than if Reaves took a cheaper deal. It's as simple as that.
However ... the Lakers do need to tread carefully when it comes to negotiating with Reaves. While a cheaper deal than the full max shouldn't be too difficult to arrive at, if LA gets too cheap, they could run the risk of losing Reaves altogether.
That's because the Lakers aren't the only franchise in the NBA aware of Reaves' talents, and while there are only really two teams with major cap space right now (the Nets and Bulls), there's still the possibility that other teams could create space with other moves and thereby have the means to pry Reaves out of LA on a lavish offer that the Lakers fall far short of. ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks talked about this possibility in a new piece that arrived Thursday.
Lakers could lose Austin Reaves if they low-ball him during contract negotiations
"Despite the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls being the only teams with projected room, the Lakers need to be careful about drawing the line in negotiations with Reaves," Bontemps and Marks warned. "There are mechanisms for teams to create room if needed, evident by the Bucks waiving and stretching Damian Lillard's salary to sign Myles Turner this past offseason."
In sum, the Lakers can't get too cute with Reaves. If LA's front office makes the false assumption that there isn't any genuine competition out there for Reaves' services, they might make a grave mistake and end up without AR. This would force Rob Pelinka to think on his feet and change the entire offseason plan on the fly, which likely wouldn't end well.
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