The 2021-22 season was one to forget for the Los Angeles Lakers, but there was one big positive to come out of that campaign, Austin Reaves.
Reaves has now established himself as a vital piece for the Lakers, but he will be a free agent in the summer, and there is a lot of speculation about his future. GM Rob Pelinka has now come out and stated that both parties desire an extension to keep him in L.A.
“There’s a mutual desire,” Pelinka said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “Those are the type of guys you want in your program – that it’s team first, it’s sacrifice everything to win a game, competition above individual stats. That’s kind of what the DNA — especially for our young guys — that we wanted to represent. And he’s an example of that.”
Reaves really impressed after the All-Star break this season, averaging 17.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 5.5 APG. It led to him being inserted into the starting lineup, and he impressed in the first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies as well. Reaves averaged 16.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG as the Lakers won the series in six games.
For his part, the 24-year-old has stated that he wants to remain a Laker for his entire career. He did make it clear earlier though, that the NBA is a business at the end of the day and that he wants to make as much money as he can.
The Lakers Would Find It Tough To Match A $60-70 Million Range Contract For Austin Reaves
While the Lakers would be delighted to see Reaves continue to shine in these playoffs, it also means his price tag goes a little bit higher. He will be a restricted free agent, so the Lakers can match whatever offer he gets, but if a team offers him a four-year deal in around the $60-70 million range, then the Lakers would have a hard time matching that, as per NBA insider Shams Charania.
Shams noted that Reaves will give the Lakers every opportunity to try to get a deal done, as he ideally would want to stay. Ultimately though, money talks and if the Lakers are unwilling to give him a deal to his liking, then Reaves might just pack his bags and leave. The fanbase would hate to see that happen, and so would LeBron James, who stated that he loves the guard for his basketball IQ.
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