Report: At least one team expected to outbid Lakers for Austin Reaves in free agency

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves is set to make a nice amount of money in free agency this offseason.

The second-year pro has been one of the team’s best players all season long and will become a restricted free agent once the 2022-23 season comes to a close.

NBA insider Marc Stein recently touched on Reaves’ pending free agency, revealing that while the market for the Arkansas native isn’t clear yet, there will be at least one team that will offer more than what the Lakers want to spend.

“Austin Reaves market…not clear yet. But there will definitely be a team or two that offers more than the Lakers want to spend,” Stein wrote. “There will be at least one.”

The most the Lakers can offer Reaves is a four-year deal worth a little over $50 million. That’s obviously a nice chunk of change, but the 24-year-old could command more on the open market from teams with more cap space than the Lakers.

Reaves recently expressed a desire to re-sign with the Lakers and stay in Los Angeles for the rest of his career, but money talks.

It’s important to note that the Lakers will have the right to match any offer sheet Reaves signs with another team. However, the pricier that offer sheet is, the worse things get for the Purple and Gold.

Lakers fans are undoubtedly hoping to see Reaves in Los Angeles for a long time. He broke out in a big way during the 2022-23 regular season and continues to produce well for the team in the 2023 playoffs.

In 14 playoffs games this season, Reaves is averaging 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game on 44.5 percent shooting from the field and 43.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He’s also been excellent from the charity stripe, knocking down 87.2 percent of his free throws.

Time and time again, Reaves has shown that he isn’t afraid to take charge for the team. That quality is important to have on the roster, especially as LeBron James and Anthony Davis get up there in age.

Both James and Davis have dealt with plenty of injuries over the last couple of seasons. Those struggles have oftentimes hindered team success, with the Lakers completely missing the postseason during the 2021-22 campaign.

Things have been a bit different this season, however.

The Lakers have made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, but they’re currently in a big 0-2 hole against the Denver Nuggets. Game 3 is set to take place on Saturday night. A Lakers loss all but ends their season.