The Los Angeles Lakers intend to match any offer sheet Austin Reaves receives this summer in restricted free agency and most teams around the NBA know that. The Houston Rockets, who are interested in Reaves, could offer the Arkansas native a massive offer sheet and force the Lakers to go into the luxury tax to re-sign the talented guard just to “fu*k” with Los Angeles, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
“All it takes is one team who wants to f*** the Lakers,” one cap strategist told Yahoo Sports.
Reaves, who is an undrafted player, averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists during the regular season in 64 games. The 24-year-old took his game to another level in the postseason, averaging 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 16 games versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, and Denver Nuggets.
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“A suitor could just outright value Reaves at a number past $20 million in annual salary as well,” Fischer wrote. “An obvious candidate: the Rockets, holding upward of $60 million in cap space with the goal of competing next season and the potential need of alternative plans should James Harden ultimately spurn a Houston homecoming.
“Reaves qualifies as an Arenas Rule player, a restricted free agent after two years of service, which would put an estimated maximum of his next contract around four years, $100 million.”
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In April, Reaves told Shams Charania of Stadium that he wants to stay with the Lakers his entire career. The Oklahoma product grew up a giant Kobe Bryant fan.
“Yeah I wanna be a Laker,” Reaves told Charania. “Obviously, they gave me the first opportunity. I was a huge Laker fan growing up. Big Kobe fan. So honestly, just to be able to play for the Lakers organization is special and I wanna be a Laker. So hopefully we can get this done and I can stay there for hopefully my whole career.”
It will be fascinating to see what type of contract Reaves gets this summer after playing so well for the Lakers this season.
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