The Los Angeles Lakers have found a solid contributor in Austin Reaves.
He was spectacular in their first-round series vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, and even though he struggled early vs. the Golden State Warriors, he was once again at his finest in that close-out Game 6.
Reaves has worked his way up on Darvin Ham’s rotation, up to the point where he’s now an undisputed starter for the Lakers.
“The most the Lakers can offer outright is 4-years, a bit over $50M… If you’re Austin Reaves, what can you get out in the marketplace?” 💰@ShamsCharania on an impressive Austin Reaves#RunItBack pic.twitter.com/GycbAcRUyR
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) May 15, 2023
That’s why Shams Charania believes he should consider all his options in free agency, as the Lakers could only offer him something in the range of $50 million over four years, whereas he could get way more somewhere else.
Charania cited the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets as two teams that could potentially take a look at a guy like him, stating that he’s not particularly young, but he’s not old either, so he could serve as a bit of a veteran leader for their young teams.
It seems like Reaves would eventually have to choose between getting a bigger paycheck on a lesser team or taking a pay cut to play for a perennial NBA championship contender.
He could also look to have a bigger offensive role with another team, as opposed to continuing being the third or fourth scoring option on Darvin Ham’s team.
It’s not unusual to see teams overpay for players after impressive postseason runs.
Whatever the case, Reaves might be in for a huge raise in his salary by the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.
