Lakers News: Western Conference Rivals May Join Austin Reaves Free Agency Sweepstakes
The NBA offseason is now in full swing.
The much-anticipated NBA draft is in the history books and free agency is set to start in just a matter of days, as teams around the league can begin to negotiate with players on Friday, June 30.
As you're probably aware of by now, your Los Angeles Lakers have a number of key players that will become free agents on the last day of June, with shooting guard Austin Reaves, power forward Rui Hachimura, and point guard D'Angelo Russell being the headliners.
And there's been much speculation surrounding Reaves, the former two-way swingman who turned his opportunity into an NBA contract and became a key cog on the team's run to the Western Conference Finals this past season.
Reaves will be a restricted free agent, meaning the Lakers can choose to match any offer the two guard signs in free agency and bring him back for next season and beyond.
The team has made it clear for a while that they intend to do just that, but that doesn't mean there will be any shortage of suitors vying to get Reaves into their organizations.
Two of those potential teams could be the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
Concerning Utah, it's a slimmer chance according to Fischer, considering the difficult moves they would have to make in order to have the available cap room.
Utah can still create upward of $28 million in room this summer, but that would require letting veteran scorer Jordan Clarkson walk, and the Jazz mainstay has long been considered a favorite of Utah team owner Ryan Smith. Even if the Jazz keep that ample amount of cap space, it’s difficult to foresee another frontcourt piece looking to join Utah's rotation that’s already jammed with All-Star Lauri Markkanen, second-year center Walker Kessler, Collins and the No. 9 pick in Taylor Hendricks. Maybe that money is still enough to scare away the Lakers with a massive offer sheet for Austin Reaves.
Houston seems like a more realistic option because they have the ability to offer a max contract this summer according to Fischer, and Reaves would provide a quality shooting option to pair with athletic guard Jalen Green.
But when it comes down to it, Los Angeles holds all the cards when it comes to the 25 year old that's just starting the prime of his career. It'd take a significant offer for the Lakers to let Reaves walk, but that doesn't mean that other NBA front offices won't try to make LA think about it.
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