Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves’ market in free agency is continuing to go up after his dazzling performance in the Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen believes that Reaves is worth a contract at four years, $99 million this coming offseason.
Reaves scored 14 points in the fourth quarter for the Lakers to lead them past the Grizzlies, making several tough shots in the process.
The 14 points were the most he’s scored in a single quarter in his NBA career. The Lakers closed Sunday’s win on a massive run that was started by Reaves’ scoring.
Reaves finished the game with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, three rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block for the Lakers. He’s shown in the second half of the season that he can be relied on as a primary option at times in the team’s offense.
This coming offseason, Reaves is set to become a restricted free agent. This could be an issue for the Lakers, as the max they can offer him is a four-year deal worth $50.8 million. In the open market, Reaves could command a deal up to the four years at $99 million that Larsen mentioned.
The Lakers would be able to match any deal for Reaves, but with D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura set to become free agents and LeBron James and Anthony Davis under contract, it could be tough for the team to commit nearly $100 million to its rising star guard.
During the regular season, Reaves averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc.
He’s taken a major leap since his rookie season and is easily one of the most important players for the Lakers.
If Reaves continues to play at a high level throughout the Lakers’ postseason run, he’s only going to help his value in the offseason.
It’s possible the Lakers could get him to sign for less, but if Reaves hits the open market he could get much more than the max that Los Angeles can offer him.
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