One of the hottest free agents in the market, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, is already receiving a ton of attention.
According to Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic, four teams have already expressed interest in the former undrafted guard: the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz.
“While team and league sources believe that the Lakers and Reaves will eventually land on a contract that makes sense, the door for Reaves to walk is open should he get a big offer elsewhere. Rival executives predicted Reaves could command $40 million a season due to a combination of his play, his age and, perhaps most importantly, a free-agent class completely devoid of players as productive as him in their prime. At present, the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets, who both have needs at the guard position, are the only teams with the sort of salary-cap space available to meet that sort of financial mark. Other teams that are known to have some interest in Reaves — like Utah and Atlanta, per league sources — would need to make roster moves to find the necessary space. League sources say winning will be a significant factor in Reaves’ thinking.”
The 27-year-old guard is coming off his strongest season in the pros. So it comes as no surprise that he is a hot commodity even before the free agency window opens.
While that is the case, Reaves has expressed a desire to win, and by the looks of it, the Lakers are the team with the best chances to offer him the most money and a great chance to win.
Lakers will have major competition for Austin Reaves
The Bulls and Nets are two teams on the list with the worst spots to go to in a basketball sense. Both teams appear to be going nowhere as things stand, and are coming off horrid seasons.
As for the Hawks, they could be building something special. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2023 and have some great pieces that will continue making noise in the East.
The Jazz are a team that is possibly on the verge of building something special.
They are one of the biggest teams in the league, and hold the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft class. Utah is a team that could compete for a play-in spot in 2027 and be a contender sooner rather than later if they play their cards right.
The Lakers will have some competition for Reaves, but it is clear that he wants to remain in Los Angeles, and those feelings are mutual.
“He [Austin Reaves] started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “We feel the same way. We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the purple and gold. There’s rules and timing to all of that but I think both sides have made it abundantly clear where he continues his prolific career here.”