The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to re-sign (subscription required), according to Marc Stein. Fans know the 28-year-old plans to decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent. The Lakers are free to negotiate a new deal with the NBA Finals over. Stein says Reaves’ partnership with Luka Doncic and desire to stay in Los Angeles make an extension the likely outcome.
Lakers fans know Luka wants AR to stay with the Lakers. The two have a close relationship and were outstanding when playing together last season. Los Angeles looked like a serious title threat in March before Doncic and Reaves were injured in the same game late in the season. Nobody knows how far the healthy Lakers would have gone, but they don’t plan on breaking up this star duo.
Stein also noted that the outside suitors for Reaves are unknown. He says the Nets and Pistons are unlikely to pursue the Lakers star. The only other options are Chicago and the Hawks. The Bulls have cap space, but are just entering a rebuild. Atlanta could create cap space by letting Jonathan Kuminga walk. No team is certain to be in on Reaves, which makes his return even more likely.
Austin Reaves appears set to stay with the Lakers in free agency
The Lakers have a massive edge in Reaves’ free agency. They can offer a fifth year and significantly more money. Both sides want to get a deal done, but the franchise can’t afford to overpay. Every dollar counts in the second apron era. Luka is already on a max deal, so any money saved on Reaves will help them build out the roster.
The Lakers would love to keep it under $40 million per year, but that may not be possible. Reaves produced like an All-Star last season. Injuries limited him to just 51 games, but he averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 34.5 minutes per game.
The Lakers are not so worried about their star duo. Doncic and Reaves had a 122.6 offensive rating and 111.0 defensive rating when sharing the floor this season. That is a plus-11.6 net rating over 988 minutes, which is elite territory. Los Angeles’ offense is unstoppable, and a 111.0 defensive rating would have been fourth in the NBA this regular season.
The star duo is showing signs of being elite, but they need to be healthy. Luka played just 64 games and missed the entire postseason. Reaves was sidelined with multiple injuries. Better health alone could make the Lakers an elite team.
The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to re-sign Austin Reaves in free agency. Both sides want to get a new contract done, and Stein reported the suitors for AR are unclear. The Lakers hope nobody is bidding against them to keep the salary down. Reaves will have suitors, but the rumors are going LA’s way so far.
The Lakers won’t stop at re-signing Reaves. They need to sort out LeBron James’ future and improve the roster around Luka and AR. Expect Los Angeles to be busy this summer, and all fans can do is stay tuned.
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