The Brooklyn Nets are projected to be one of just a few teams that will have significant cap space to be able to go after some of the pricier free-agents this offseason. Brooklyn is still in the early stages of its rebuild so it’s possible that they may not be hunting for big names, but there is some reporting that they could be a potential bidder for a guard looking for a payday.
“One potential bidder to watch this summer, sources said, is the Brooklyn Nets, who will enter the offseason with more than enough salary cap space to accommodate a max-type player,” Tim Bontemps reported for ESPN on Thursday concerning Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves. Reaves is expected to command plenty of money on his next contract given what he has done for the Lakers over the past few seasons.
“Several scouts and executives predict something in the range of five years, $200 million, but below his five-year max of $239 million, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks,” Bontemps continued. “‘I’d be pretty surprised if the first year starts with a 3 instead of a 4,’ an East scout said, ‘but the Lakers need to keep him, and by all accounts he wants to be there, so I think they make it work.'”
Reaves, 27, is coming off the best season of his career as he averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from behind the three-point line. Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote earlier this month that the Nets and Chicago Bulls are the only teams that presumably would have the salary cap space necessary to give Reaves the kind of payday he’s expected to get.
The Nets could practically free up around $48 million in cap space and if Reaves is expected to command around $40 million per season on his next deal, Brooklyn would have enough money to make that work. Time will tell if the Nets would be willing to spend that much money on one player, but if that is the case, Reaves could be the kind of player that could unlock more of the offense for head coach Jordi Fernandez and forward Michael Porter Jr.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets could be bidder for Lakers free-agent Austin Reaves
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
