LA Lakers Rumors: Lakers not planning to let go of Austin Reaves in free agency

Austin Reaves is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season, which means LA Lakers have the right to match any offers. The latest NBA rumors suggest that they are not interested in letting Reaves, who has been the Lakers' third-best player during their playoff run, go.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Lakers will do everything in their power to retain Reaves. Windhorst explained on the Hoop Collective podcast that the Lakers don't want another Alex Caruso situation in their hands.

"There's no way they're letting him walk," Windhorst said. "Because they absolutely had egg dripping from their chin on letting Alex Caruso walk. And Reaves, let's just be honest, he's their third-best player." (h/t Bleacher Report)

The LA Lakers prioritized saving money in the summer of 2021, failing to re-sign Alex Caruso, who joined the Chicago Bulls on a four-year, $37 million contract. Caruso has been one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and was recently named to the All-Defensive First Team this season.

Austin Reaves might not be as good as Caruso defensively, but is better in the offensive end. Danny Leroux of The Athletic reported in March that the Lakers can only offer and match a four-year, $50.8 million contract for Reaves.

The Lakers have a tricky salary cap and the recent CBA does not help them at all. NBA insider Marc Stein added in his latest Substack piece that it's possible for a team or two to offer more money to Reaves, who could be too expensive for the Lakers.

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Austin Reaves earned his next contract

Austin Reaves of the LA Lakers

Austin Reaves has been an important part of the LA Lakers since they made a lot of moves at the trade deadline. The Lakers went from the 13th seed to the seventh seed, earning a spot in the playoffs in the play-in tournament.

Reaves has been huge for the Lakers in the postseason, averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 15 games. He's outshined D'Angelo Russell and Dennis Schorder, and is essentially the Lakers' third-best player behind Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

The 24-year-old guard definitely earned his incoming contract. He's come a long way from being an undrafted free agent to a two-way player last season. He continued to improve throughout his second year with the Lakers as coach Darvin Ham began to put more trust in him.

Reaves paid it off big time, becoming a key player in series wins against the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies in the first round and the defending champions Golden State Warriors in the second round. However, it seems like the Lakers' run is over at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, who are currently up 3-0 in the Western Conference finals.