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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 22: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Brooklyn Nets have been named as the team most likely to make a realistic run at Austin Reaves in free agency. Most reports from media members and quotes from Reaves show that he’s hoping to return to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Brooklyn could realistically make it a tougher decision due to the amount of cap space they have and the desperate need to improve next season.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported the following about the Nets’ interest:

“One potential bidder to watch (for Reaves) this summer, sources said, is the Brooklyn Nets, who will enter the offseason with more than enough salary cap space to accommodate a max-type player.”

The Chicago Bulls, Lakers, and Nets are by far the teams with the most spending money entering the offseason. However, the Lakers have the issue of many names entering free agency. LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes all need new deals to return to the roster, along with a desire to add new names.

Brooklyn doesn’t have to prioritize any of their upcoming salary towards re-signing important players. Michael Porter and Nic Claxton are the two best players on the roster, and both are safely under contract for the next season. The Nets could send a huge offer to make it harder for the Lakers to retain Reaves.

Brooklyn Overpaying Austin Reaves Makes Sense

Brooklyn offering a massive contract to Reaves actually makes more logical sense than the Lakers when looking at both situations. The Lakers already have Luka Doncic and likely the returning LeBron as strong offensive players capable of leading the offense, but they have the same flaws as Reaves.

The Nets badly need a great player to take control of their terrible offense after a full season of tanking with lackluster talent. Reaves would instantly be the best player on the team and have full freedom to run the offense as Brooklyn’s new star.

Young players like Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, and their upcoming sixth overall pick could give Reaves enough talent to resurrect the franchise. The Nets don’t own their own draft pick next season and need to win games. Reaves is the best player on the free agent market that fills the gap in the things they badly lack right now.

Nets Must End Austin Reaves’ Loyalty

The biggest issue for the Nets in chasing Reaves is that he seems extremely loyal to the Lakers. Reaves does not shy away from wanting to continue playing for the Lakers and has only named them when talking about his future after this offseason.

However, the business side of things often comes into play to test that. ESPN’s Bobby Marks predicted that Reaves will likely get a contract $40 million per season over five years for a total of $200 million.

Brooklyn could up that offer since they don’t have many other options and Reaves is young enough to risk it. The Nets will also need a new star to excite their fan base after the New York Knicks have widened the gap as the premiere team in NYC basketball. Reaves could at least give Brooklyn a chance to start building a better future.