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Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers

It’s no secret that Lakers star guard Austin Reaves is a free agent this summer, and it’s similarly no secret that he is expected to drum up interest around the NBA. But just how much of what the rumor mill has tossed up around him will proceed from idle chatter to reality remains to be seen. Remember, the last time that Reaves was a free agent, in 2023, he was expected to get $100 million offers from multiple teams. In the end, there was no nine-figure deal out there, and Reaves signed back with the Lakers on a relatively humble four year, $54 million contract.

Now, a new report from Dan Woike of The Athletic states that the Nets are set t offer Reaves the maximum $179 million over four years that the team can offer him when the league calendar turns over, and that others might join the fray.

Here’s what Woike wrote: “Multiple front-office sources around the league, granted anonymity to freely discuss an opposing player, expect Reaves to have interest from the Brooklyn Nets, with a four-year, $178.5 million contract expected to be offered. League sources said the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks are among a group of interested teams that can create space to make competitive offers. Other teams could also emerge.”

Lakers Could Be Under Pressure for Max Offer

The wisdom of a stark rebuilding team like the Nets throwing a max deal at a player who is 28 and not a true No. 1 option can be debated. But if the Nets do make that offer, the question is whether that would scare off the Lakers, who do not want to pay the max value for Reaves ($241 million), but were eyeing something closer to five years and $200 million.

A max offer from the Nets would pressure the Lakers into going all the way with Reaves. But around the league, the feeling is that the Lakers would do just that.

“They’re not going to let him get away without making a max offer,” one Western Conference executive said. “There’s no way they will let that happen, lose him for nothing without going as far as they can to bring him back. You want to keep the asset in the building, and if you overpay then maybe you can make a trade down the line.”

Austin Reaves Will Have His Pick

Now, it is possible that Reaves will look at his situation with the Lakers and realize there is a ceiling on how far he can go because of the presence of Luka Doncic. Maybe Reaves wants to prove he can be the top dog on a good team, and the lure of that will pull him East, even if the lure of being a Laker for life is strong the other way.

That’s possible. Reaves is coming off a year in which he averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists. LeBron James could be back, and James showed a willingness to play the No. 3 role in the offense–and the team thrived under that set-up. That should free up Reaves to return as Doncic’s wingman.

If he wants. But there’s no way the Lakers don’t make the offer to keep Reaves in place, and it will be up to him from there.