Leading up to his untimely calf injury, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves was playing at an All-Star level. Despite Luka Doncic and LeBron James missing their fair share of games, Reaves was a steady force that pulled out unlikely wins against quality opponents.
Unfortunately, Los Angeles is now spiraling as losses are beginning to pile up and Reaves’ absence has played a big role in that.
Replacing his production of 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists is not easy, but it shows his value to this Lakers team. As an impending unrestricted free agency looms, opposing teams are beginning to think about potentially luring Reaves away from L.A.
One reported team is the Utah Jazz, who are a rebuilding team and looking to solidify their young core and could pursue Reaves to speed up their rebuild, via Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports:
“I think the Utah Jazz are going to be a team that has big interest in Austin Reaves this summer. There are going to be teams that make a big max offer for Reaves, and he’s going to have that choice. So the Lakers—like, Rich Paul’s not saying it—but I’m sure Rich Paul has that same exact information about where Reaves could go this offseason.”
Utah will not be the only team that will try to persuade the 27-year-old with a massive payday. Other teams that are projected to have cap space are the Washington Wizards, L.A. Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls.
With Washington now having Trae Young, amongst other promising guards on their roster, it would be safe to rule them out. Brooklyn could certainly make a push and for Chicago it depends on whether they view Coby White and Josh Giddey as the backcourt of their future.
The Clippers are an older team and their long-term outlook has yet to be solidified as well. All in all, as free agency inches closer, it will become clearer of who will be offering a near or max level contract to Reaves. One thing he has made clear all along though is that he wants to remain with the Lakers long-term, so that will be his priority and also the priority for the organization this summer.
Austin Reaves’ agent spoke with Rich Paul at halftime vs. Hawks
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul made waves with his recent comments, suggesting the Lakers trade Austin Reaves to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jaren Jackson Jr.
That statement certainly ruffled some feathers in Reaves’ camp as his agents reportedly spoke to Paul at halftime of their recent game against the Atlanta Hawks to clear the air.
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