The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the Western Conference Finals, facing off against the Denver Nuggets. However, free agency will soon be upon them, and the team definitely has some decisions to make.
The team has a number of free agents this offseason, and two names that are likely to receive interest from other teams are Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. They are both restricted free agents, however, and the Lakers can match any deal that an opposing team offers. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are highly likely to match deals for both players. (15:00)
“Both restricted free agents. I don’t see any scenario where the Lakers would not match on both”, said Wojnarowski.
There is no doubt that this is the right decision for the Los Angeles Lakers. They need to think about their potential future post-LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and on top of that, both Reaves and Hachimura can contribute immediately to a championship-level team.
The Lakers Are Concerned That Austin Reaves Will Get A Big Deal Worth More Than $50 Million
Austin Reaves has been stellar during the playoffs thus far, averaging 16.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 4.6 APG for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is in line for a big-time deal in free agency, and there is some concern among the Lakers that he will get a deal that is higher than $50 million this offseason.
“The most this postseason goes on, the most Austin Reaves gets on the court and plays and enjoys himself being a top-3, top-4 option on this team. And so, the most the Lakers can offer outright is 4-years, a bit over $50 million, I think it’s $52, $54 million. At this point, that’s gotta be a lot. If you’re Austin Reaves, what can you get out in the marketplace?” Shams Charania reported.
“More, more teams around the league with cap space, teams like Houston, San Antonio, you have to look at a guy like that, because he’s not old, he’s not super young, either. He’s kind of that middle-of-the-pack age range guy that’s still enough career-wise that can come in, fit in with your group, be a better leader to some extent, but still grow and develop with your group.”
“There’s a concern for sure, if you’re the Lakers, that he’s gonna get potentially an offer way higher than $50 million.”
It will be interesting to see what the Los Angeles Lakers do this offseason. Austin Reaves is definitely a talented player, and no matter the financial concerns, they need to retain him.
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