(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers made a mistake by not fighting to keep Alex Caruso on board.
He wanted to stay with the team, yet they didn’t think he was worthy of that much money.
They wound up losing one of the best defenders in the league and a two-way catalyst whose energy was contagious to the rest of the team.
Now, they can’t afford to make the same mistake with Austin Reaves, who’s broken out in the second half of the season.
Reaves will be a restricted free agent in the summer, meaning the Lakers will get the right to match any offer he gets from another team.
Notably, he recently told Shams Charania of The Athletic that he intends to stay with the team, citing that he hopes they can work a deal out.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves sits down with @Stadium: “I want to be a Laker, so hopefully we can get this done and I can stay there for hopefully my whole career.” On upcoming free agency, a special 2021 training camp moment, surprising his opponents, much more: pic.twitter.com/sa83nlnatT
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 10, 2023
The maximum the team could offer him right now is four years and $50 million, which seems like his league-wide value anyway.
He’s got a qualifying offer worth $2 million for the next campaign, but there’s just no way he will take it after his great play this season.
As of now, it seems like both parties are interested in extending their partnership, as they should.
Reaves has been an offensive catalyst, both starting or coming off the bench, averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 three-pointers per game on 52/39/86 shooting splits.
So, while the Lakers might not be oozing with cap space in the offseason, they most definitely need to find a way to keep Hillbilly Kobe around for the long run.
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