Getty Damian Lillard and Austin Reaves
Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard issued a five-word tweet on Austin Reaves after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 on April 16.
My bad … Reaves like that 🙏🏽
Reaves was incredible against the Grizzlies. The guard finished with 23 points while shooting 8-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. The Lakers beat the Grizzlies by a final score of 128-112 to take a 1-0 series lead.
Reaves averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists during the regular season. He becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
Austin Reaves Wants to Re-Sign With the Lakers
Reaves told Shams Charania of Stadium on April 10 that he wants to re-sign with the Lakers this offseason.
“Yeah I wanna be a Laker,” Reaves told Charania. “Obviously, they gave me the first opportunity. I was a huge Laker fan growing up. Big Kobe [Bryant] fan. So honestly, just to be able to play for the Lakers organization is special and I wanna be a Laker. So hopefully we can get this done and I can stay there for hopefully my whole career.”
As a restricted free agent, Reaves can re-sign with the Lakers or sign an offer sheet with another team. Los Angeles can match any offer sheet Reaves signs as long as it comes within 48 hours. The Arkansas native started the final 10 games of the season. He averaged 18.3 points and 6.1 assists and helped the Lakers go 8-2.
The Lakers & Austin Reaves’ Camp Have Interest in Reaves Re-Signing With LA
Reaves and the Lakers have mutual interest in agreeing to a new contract this summer, according to a March 20 report from Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Los Angeles doesn’t want to lose Reaves, who is a solid two-way player.
“Reaves’ surge is setting him up for a fascinating offseason,” Buha wrote. “He will be a restricted free agent this summer, and will undoubtedly have multiple suitors looking to pry him from the Lakers — especially after stat lines like Sunday’s. Both the Lakers and Reaves’ camp have interest in Reaves re-signing in Los Angeles, according to multiple league sources who were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely. The max the Lakers can offer Reaves is a four-year, $50.8 million contract if they chose to use his Early Bird Rights, but they also have the power to match any contract he signs with another team.”
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report believes the Lakers will do whatever it takes to bring Reaves back.
“Last season, Austin Reaves proved a fun find for the Purple and Gold as an undrafted rookie. This time around, he took such a dramatic step forward you can reasonably argue he’s already the third-most important player on the team,” Buckley wrote on April 13. “There really isn’t a weak spot on his stat sheet. His shooting slash sizzled to the tune of 52.9/39.8/86.4 accuracy. His scoring average spiked to 13 points for the season and 17.6 after the All-Star break. He more than doubled his 1.5 turnovers with 3.4 assists.
“Combine all of that production with the fact Reaves is just 24 years old, and it’s possible he priced himself out of the Lakers’ long-term plans. ‘If it gets to that $60 million-$70 million range for Austin Reaves, that’s a tough contract for the Lakers to match,’ The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania reported during a recent appearance on FanDuel TV. ‘He wants to give the Lakers every opportunity to try to get a deal done.’ This feels doable, unless someone absolutely blows up Reaves’ market. Unless a team thinks stardom is imminent for him, though, it’s hard to see him finding a deal that L.A. can’t match. Prediction: Reaves stays in L.A.”