One basketball observer is suggesting that the San Antonio Spurs make an expensive bid to sign restricted free agent Austin Reaves.
Bill Simmons said (at the 1:35:40 mark) on his podcast that the Spurs’ financial flexibility allows them the opportunity to make the Lakers pay Reaves more than they likely want to.
“They have a lot of room to do stuff,” Simmons said of the Spurs. “They could also just — if I were them, and I’ve said this before. I’m gonna say it again. I would just go max out Austin Reaves and make the Lakers match it. I would do that on the first day I could do it. … Austin Reaves is perfect for this team.”
Simmons expressed his belief that Reaves is a quality player who can contribute. However, whether he’s worth almost $100 million is likely a subject worthy of debate.
Reaves was an undrafted free agent when the Lakers signed him two years ago, but he quickly showed that he could compete in the NBA. He ended up starting 19 of the 61 games he played in during his rookie season, in part because of injuries suffered by teammates.
This past season, Reaves started in 22 of the regular season games he played in before taking his game to another level during the postseason.
In the Lakers’ first playoff game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Reaves delivered a clutch performance during the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points to help the Lakers deliver the upset victory.
Reaves scored a total of 23 points in that win. He matched that amount in a Game 4 victory that gave the Lakers a commanding 3-1 lead in the series they won in six games.
Following that effort, Reaves then contributed a pair of 20-point games in the six-game, second-round series victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Despite the fact that the Lakers ended up getting swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets, Reaves passed the 20-point threshold in each of the first three contests.
It’s clear that other teams have taken notice of Reaves, who’s a restricted free agent. That means any offer sheet he signs can be matched by the Lakers, something that the team apparently plans on doing.
The Spurs and Houston Rockets have already been mentioned as teams that might want to sign the young guard.
One aspect worthy of note is that Simmons is a Celtics fan. Of course, the Celtics and Lakers have faced each in the Finals many times over the years.
In the end, Simmons’ idea may simply be his way to speculate about how to make things difficult for the Lakers.
