Besides LeBron James, the big free agent the Los Angeles Lakers will want to keep this offseason is guard Austin Reaves. Reaves has gone from an undrafted player to an All-Star caliber performer in his five seasons in the NBA, and losing him would be a huge blow to a Lakers franchise that has been searching for a way to win another championship.
All indications are that Reaves wants to stay with the Lakers, although it cannot be assumed that he will end up doing so, as the math will have to work as far as his next contract and the team’s salary cap situation. A reporter from TMZ ran into him and asked if he wants James back next season, and Reaves repeated the reporter’s words by saying, “Run it back.”
It will not be easy for the team to fit Reaves and James into its salary cap picture, especially considering the other players it currently has who can or will become free agents. Los Angeles will likely also want to secure at least one outside free agent in order to upgrade its roster and address its needs at the wing and center spots, as well as its overall lack of speed and athleticism.
According to a recent report in The Athletic, executives of other NBA teams feel Reaves could receive as much as $40 million a year on his next contract and that the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks are “known to have some interest” in him. Some Lakers fans will likely be upset if the team gives him a new contract that is worth that much money, given his issues on the defensive end, the realities of the league’s suffocating salary cap and the team’s need for more depth, defense and 3-point shooting.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Austin Reaves wants to ‘run it back’ with LeBron James on the Lakers
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
