2023 NBA Free Agency - LA Lakers have extended offers to Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves

The LA Lakers have been saying since the end of their playoff run that they want to keep both Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. Both were key contributors to the team’s surprising run to the Western Conference finals.

The Lakers stayed to their true word with this announcement:

“The Lakers extended qualifying offers to Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. As a result of the qualifying offers, Hachimura and Reaves become restricted free agents.”

LA’s move allows them to match any offer that the two may receive in free agency. The Lakers have set signing both as a priority. If both are tendered maximum offers, GM Rob Pelinka however, will have to make tough decisions.

Of the two, Reaves is set to get a significant bump in his pay. The sophomore guard was undoubtedly the third-best player after LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the Lakers. Pelinka’s best offer will be roughly $50-51 million for four years.

Interested teams, however, can entice him with a staggering $100 million for the same number of years.

Signing Reaves to a max four-year $100 million deal will be tough for LA. The Lakers are limited to $11 million in the first year and $12 million in the second. In the last two years of that hypothetical contract, they’ll have to pay Reaves around $35 million per season.

If the Lakers match a max offer, the former undrafted rookie's contract becomes a "poison pill."

Rui Hachimura, on the other hand, could get something like $20 million in the market. The LA Lakers don’t want to go that far but if they’re serious in keeping him, they may have to bite the bullet again.

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The LA Lakers can keep both Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves but will have to sacrifice depth

Rob Pelinka knows he will have to compromise somewhere so the LA Lakers don’t see Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves walk out of the door.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks has an interesting solution for how both can stay in Hollywood:

"Lakers could potentially create roughly $17M in room if they let [Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba] and D'Angelo Russell go... I would expect [Austin] Reaves and [Rui] Hachimura back."

D’Angelo Russell was the LA Lakers’ starting point guard while Malik Beasley was one of the team’s best shooters. Mo Mamba didn’t get to play much but if Anthony Davis suffers another injury, he’d suddenly become crucial to the team.

To keep Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, the LA Lakers may have to look for veteran guys for depth.

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