the Lakers He’ll be hoping to keep Austin Reeves in free agency this offseason, and it looks like the budding star is hoping to stay in LA as well.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday after Los Angeles was eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by Monday’s Nuggets, Reeves said he wants to remain a Laker.
Reeves said viaDan Wiki Who Los Angeles Times. “It feels like home.”
Reeves has just finished the final season of his $2,488 million deal with the Lakers two years and is set to come to restricted free agency, which means Los Angeles will reserve the right to match any offer sheet offered for the 24-year-old.
"i want to be here," said Austin Reeves. "It feels like home."
– Dan Wiki (@DanWoikeSports) May 23, 2023
Recent reports have indicated that there is speculation that the Lakers could be priced out of the Reaves lottery this off-season. The maximum deal Los Angeles can ask for Reaves is a four-year, $50.1 million offer, which is Mark Stein NBA insider indicates that it may not be enough to distance him from other interested parties.
Reeves earned just $1.563 million this season and made $925,000 during the 2021-2022 campaign, but the numbers do get a huge pay boost on the open market. Stein noted that the market for Reeves is not yet clear, but said there will “definitely” be two teams willing to give more than the Lakers can spend.
In what was a breakout season for the sophomore winger, Reaves posted season averages of 13.0 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game. In 23 games after the All-Star break, Reaves averaged 17.6 points and 5.5 assists, seeing minutes rise from 27.9 minutes per night to 30.4.
The former free agent started all 16 games during the Lakers’ playoff run, averaged 16.9 points and shot 44.6% from three-point range in his first postseason action.