The Los Angeles Lakers will have to make a huge decision this offseason over how much they pay Austin Reaves if they keep him in free agency. Reaves could command the most money of anyone in free agency due to his age and upside. The Lakers already must contend with the Brooklyn Nets reportedly planning to offer Reaves a max contract to provide at least one threat.
Lakers legend Michael Cooper called out Reaves via Sports Illustrated by flat out saying he needs to take a smaller contract for the team to contend:
“If [Reaves] is about winning, then he has to accept a little less money to get another player. But if you think that you’re a max player, you don’t play with the same team you had last year, you’re going to get the same results. You’re going to come up a little short.
So again, in our era, players used to take a little less money so that they could help the organization achieve that maximum player. You’ve got to look at San Antonio. It’s a team you are going to have to go through in order to win a championship. And can you go through, can you beat them with the players that you had last year? I don’t think so.”
Cooper’s point goes back to the Lakers having to keep pace with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder as the dominant West favorites. The Lakers paying Reaves and LeBron James big money basically erases a lot of the cap space the franchise has entering the offseason.
Lakers Don’t Really Have Major Cap Space
Lakers fans enter this offseason with a lot of hope since the franchise has waited over a year for this point. General Manager Rob Pelinka avoided making any huge moves last summer or ahead of this past season’s deadline to ensure they had cap space this offseason.
Unfortunately, a lot of that money will just go to Reaves and James since neither are expected to take a major pay cut. Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Rui Hachimura are three other free agents who will likely want a pay upgrade to remain with the team.
The Lakers are also reportedly interested in names like Lu Dort, Trey Murphy, and Isaiah Stewart. It will be impossible for the franchise to add all the talent they want unless Reaves or LeBron takes a smaller deal. Cooper’s point makes sense, but it seems unfair to single out Reaves.
Teams That Could Steal Austin Reaves
The Nets are considered the only strong option of a team outbidding the Lakers since they plan to offer their largest possible contract. Since the Lakers have Reaves on the roster, they can offer more money or try to match the exact deal of Brooklyn.
The Chicago Bulls are the only other team with as much money as the Nets or Lakers, but they haven’t been linked to Reaves in a strong context. One dark horse team is the Detroit Pistons if they can free up some more cap space.
Regardless, it will all still come down to what the Lakers feel comfortable offering Reaves to make him part of their future. Cooper’s words are unlikely to inspire Reaves to take a discount since this is his first chance at making big money in the NBA.
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