NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
While the NBA Finals are drawing most of the headlines — especially with the Knicks in them, energizing America’s media capital — the NBA continues to move toward the draft, and with that free agency and trade rumors are flying around. Here are some of the latest.
One of the Lakers’ offseason priorities is to re-sign Austin Reaves. He showed he was a great fit last season as the secondary shot creator next to Luka Doncic, averaging a career-high 23.3 points per game, plus he dished out 5.5 assists per night and shot 36% from 3-point range. The question is simply the years and money.
Advertisement
Reaves is going to ask for a max deal from the Lakers, reports Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times during an appearance on the Lakers’ cable network Spectrum SportsNet.
“Based on what I understand, what I keep hearing, Austin wants the max. Is he willing to give the Lakers a hometown deal? I’m not so sure about that.”
Technically, he’s only giving the Lakers a discount if another team is offering the max (or at least more than the Lakers), and we have yet to see that team emerge. Based on the NBA’s latest projections given to teams, the Lakers can give Reaves a max of five years, $239.3 million (that is a couple of million less than the number commonly reported). Reaves gave the Lakers a huge break on his last contract, but this is the chance for the 28-year-old to get his generational-wealth contract, and, understandably, he is going to take all the money he can get.
He’s also not going to get the max, not in a tax-apron NBA. This is a negotiation: his agent should come in asking for the max, while the Lakers will start the bidding lower, and the sides will look for middle ground. Reaves is a free agent, and the two teams with cap space — Brooklyn and Chicago — could come in with four-year, $177.4 million max offers. However, the Bulls already have Josh Giddey, and Reaves seems like a poor fit alongside him. Brooklyn may be interested, but they are giving the max to a franchise anchor player, and Reaves is good but not that.
Advertisement
In league circles, the expectation is that the Lakers and Reaves reach…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-offseason-trade-free-agent-180242837.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-06-05 18:02:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
