The Los Angeles Lakers will have to figure out a way to retain the services of Austin Reaves, who has been their X-factor this season. But, NBA insider Shams Charania believes the front office will have a “tough challenge” if his contract goes past the $60-70 million range.
“My biggest takeaway is that he said, he clearly wants to be a Laker, and the Lakers will have a window of time going into free agency,” Charania said on FanDuel’s Run It Down.
“But they are going to be capped out. They are only going to be able to offer him a max of four years, and around $50-60 million. So we’ll see if they come with that, or does he have to test FA and get an offer sheet… if it gets to that $60M-$70M range for Austin Reaves, that’s a tough contract for the Lakers to match… he wants to give the Lakers every opportunity to try to get a deal done.”
“If it gets to that $60M-$70M range for Austin Reaves, that’s a tough contract for the Lakers to match… he wants to give the Lakers every opportunity to try to get a deal done”@ShamsCharania with his biggest takeaway from convo with Austin Reaves #RunItBack #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/x47DboyKGG
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) April 11, 2023
On the moolah front for the 2023-24 season, LA has six players on salaries. The likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Mo Bamba, Max Christie, and Davon Reed are on salaries (Note: Reed has been waived after the Lakers signed veterans Tristan Thompson and Shaquille Harrison).
Malik Beasley and Rui Hachimura come with team options, while D’Angelo Russell, Lonnie Walker, Dennis Schroder, Troy Brown Jr, Wenyen Gabriel, Austin Reaves, and Sterling Brown are all free agents.
Austin Reaves Wants To Be A Los Angeles Laker
Reaves is living the good dream right now, and it’s been so good that he doesn’t want to wake up and see it disappear. The young guard has been phenomenal for the Lakers and, by his own admission, wants to be one for the foreseeable future.
“I wanna be a Laker,” he told Charania on The Stadium. “Obviously, they gave me my first opportunity. I was a huge Laker fan growing up, a big Kobe fan, so honestly, just to be able to play for the Lakers organization is special, and I wanna be a Laker, so hopefully, we can get this done, and I can stay there for hopefully my whole career.”
It has been a stellar season for Reaves, who has averaged 9.5 points and 5.8 assists from his last dozen games, and 13.0 points and 3.4 assists overall this season. He has been a versatile asset to the team and crucial in their run thus far.
It will be a wholesome moment for the guard if his dream comes true, and the Lakers will know the value he brings to the team. Maybe, just maybe, they will figure out a way to ensure Reaves stays with the purple and gold in the years to come.
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