NBA Team Emerging as Potential ‘Bidder' for Austin Reaves This Offseason

Austin Reaves holds a player option heading into the offseason that he is widely expected to decline in order to become a free agent and likely pursue a long-term contract extension - one many still believe will ultimately keep him with the Los Angeles Lakers.

However, if Reaves does hit the open market, there will likely be several teams prepared to pursue him aggressively. According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, the Brooklyn Nets are emerging as a "potential bidder" for the three-level scoring guard.

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Reaves could reportedly command a contract in the range of five years and $200 million, and both the Lakers and Nets are entering the offseason with some of the most available cap space in the NBA, alongside the Chicago Bulls.

The former undrafted guard is coming off a career-best season in which he ranked second on the Lakers in scoring behind only Luka Doncic.

Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from three-point range.

As for Brooklyn, the franchise remains in full rebuild mode, but with the No. 6 overall pick in the upcoming draft, multiple young players selected last season, and two second-round picks, the organization has flexibility to accelerate the rebuild with the right free-agent additions.

That said, convincing Reaves to leave a Lakers team led by Doncic and competing for championships would likely require a very strong pitch from Brooklyn.

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 9:42 AM.