Lakers' Austin Reaves Drawing Interest From Brooklyn Nets This Offseason
Austin Reaves has spent the last few seasons being one of the best bargain players in the NBA. That era is just about over.
The Los Angeles Lakers guard wrapped up a massive breakout campaign, averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds across 51 games. His role this season carried more weight than LeBron James, and the production backed it up completely.
Reaves has grown well past the luxury role player label he carried for years and is now one of the more valuable offensive pieces in the league.
That kind of season comes with a price tag, and general manager Rob Pelinka knows it. With the Lakers heading into a pivotal offseason built around Luka Doncic, figuring out what Reaves costs next is one of the more pressing decisions on the table.
Austin Reaves Drawing Interest From Brooklyn Nets
Most around the league still expect Reaves to stay in Los Angeles, and likely on a deal much larger than the one he has been outperforming for years. Several analysts project his next contract landing around five years and $200 million, which would fall short of the five-year maximum worth $239 million but still represents a massive financial jump for the 27-year-old.
The Lakers have made it clear they want to keep their core intact around Doncic and Reaves. But according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, at least one team is worth watching this summer.
The Brooklyn Nets are set to enter the offseason with more than enough cap space to go after a max-type player and sources indicated they are a potential bidder for Reaves.
Whether that outside interest moves the needle for Reaves remains to be seen. LeBron James is approaching unrestricted free agency and his decision could carry some influence over how Reaves views his own situation in Los Angeles.
Around the league, though, the belief is that the Lakers would prioritize keeping Reaves, given his age, his fit alongside Doncic, and his long-term value to the franchise.
The offseason math is complicated, but the Lakers know what they have in Reaves. Letting him walk this summer would make an already complicated rebuild around Doncic significantly harder to manage.
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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 6:58 AM.