The Los Angeles Lakers have a fantastic track recent record of unearthing gems in the NBA, with Austin Reaves their latest success story.
Reaves has become an invaluable member of the roster after joining the team as a rookie last season. He will be a free agent in the summer, and Jovan Buha has revealed he wants to stay a Laker. But lowballing Reaves on a contract offer may lead to a departure.
“I think this is a similar situation to DLo in terms of mutual interest on both sides. But also, there are going to be multiple suitors for Reaves. He’s played everything from point guard to small forward. He can defend multiple positions and is a smart, high-IQ basketball player. He was a 50-40-90 guy for the early part of the season. He’s an efficient player and someone that Darvin Ham has referred to as a Swiss Army knife this season. He can play on or off the ball. This is kind of lining up to potentially be another Alex Caruso situation where he wants to be there, and the Lakers want to retain him, but if they try to get a little too cute with the offer or negotiation, I could see him potentially leaving and going somewhere where he’s going to get the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception.”
Jovan Buha on the Los Angeles Lakers and their situation with Austin Reaves 👇 #LakeShow
“I think this is a similar situation to DLo in terms of mutual interest on both sides. But also, there are going to be multiple suitors for Reaves. He’s played everything from point guard… pic.twitter.com/gxjEyPDrWT
— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) March 16, 2023
The Lakers were in the same situation with Alex Caruso in 2021. They low-balled him, and that led to Caruso leaving for the Chicago Bulls. Given the roster troubles of the last few seasons, the Lakers are likely not going to take Reaves for granted as they did Caruso.
Austin Reaves: A Man In Demand?
So far, no other teams have been reported to have interest in signing Austin Reaves in the summer. That could be due to the larger expectation around the league that the Lakers will be giving him an extension. If he does hit the market, many teams around the league could be interested. LA did go out of their way to ensure Reaves was untouchable in trade packages they prepared this season.
His offensive versatility and gradually improving defense have proven he is an incredible utility player in the league. He may not be regularly dropping 20 points but he does come in for effective stints that keep defenses engaged. Reaves has more than earned a longer stint with the Lakers, but his NBA career is likely going to continue even if the Lakers don’t offer him what he wants.
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