“Because LeBron is moving to GSW” – Lakers' plan to offer Austin Reaves $100 million had NBA fans going berserk

Austin Reaves seems to have earned himself a large payday after his performances in the NBA Playoffs for the LA Lakers. There have been reports that the team is looking to sign the young guard to a big contract to secure him for good, sending fans into a frenzy.

Los Angeles has a ton to do in the offseason in hopes to improve its roster to compete in the Western Conference. One of the items on their checklist is to give Reaves a decent contract. The Lakers seem ready to match the $100 million offer sheets the young guard could receive in the offseason.

The Lakers crashed out of the postseason after losing four straight games against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals. During the conference finals, Reaves averaged 21.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 56% from beyond the arc.

Reaves averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists throughout the postseason. The 6-foot-4 guard made 44.3% of his shots from downtown, showing off his efficiency from long distance.

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"The Lakers view him as the third-best player on this team" - The Athletic's Jovan Buha on Austin Reaves

Golden State Warriors v LA Lakers - Game 6

If the Lakers use their Bird Rights on him, Austin Reaves could earn as much as $50.8 million over four years with the team. Other teams could offer him up to $98.6 million. The Athletic's Jovan Buha commented on how Los Angeles became drawn to Austin in the postseason.

"The Lakers are going to match any contract offer sheet that he signs up to that $100 million," Buha said.

"The Lakers view him as the third-best player on this team if you look at the regular season and postseason he had. He stepped up big time and was basically an 18-5-5 guy with near 50-40-90 shooting splits as a starter for them.

"There were several factors as to why the Lakers made that second half run, but chief among them — and maybe the biggest factor overall — was Reaves’ ascension."

With LeBron James' looming retirement, the Purple and Gold are looking forward to building a team for the future and Reaves is expected to be a huge part of that.