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Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers

If there was a major threat to the Los Angeles Lakers and their ability to re-sign star guard Austin Reaves in free agency this summer, it was supposedly the Brooklyn Nets. And maybe, after more machinations, the Nets will still make Reaves an offer in the range of what The Athletic’s Dan Woike reported last week–four years and $178 million. But after a major trade on Monday night, the Nets have sapped much of their financial flexibility this summer, agreeing to send out center Nic Claxton in a deal that brought back Julius Randle in a cap-clearing trade for the Timberwolves.

The Bulls will take on Claxton, absorbing him into their salary-cap space and rolling back Chicago’s ability to make a free-agent splash, too.

The full deal, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania: “Just in: Minnesota is sending Julius Randle and the No. 28 pick in the NBA Draft to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team trade that sends Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls, sources tell ESPN. The Timberwolves will acquire Brooklyn’s No. 33 pick for Randle and No. 28.”

Lakers Have Little Competition for Austin Reaves in Free Agency

Why is this significant for the Lakers? Well, it could prove to be a double-win. Remember, the Bulls, Nets and Lakers  entered this month as the only teams with significant cap space, which meant that Chicago was a threat to make a bid for Jazz center Walker Kessler and the Nets were “planning” on making the Reaves bid.

Now, though, the Bulls have seen their cap space brought down to about $32 million with the addition of Claxton, and the Nets are down to a bit more than $35 million. Kessler was always going to be a longshot, but the Bulls now have a center and will be turning their cap space elsewhere.

And for all the talk of that $178 million offer the Nets were going to give Reaves? Scratch that off the list, too. The best the Nets can do now is four years and about $140 million, which the Lakers would easily surpass.