The Los Angeles Lakers could also be observing a franchise altering dilemma. In line with NBA insider Kevin O’Connor, the Utah Jazz may very well be ready to supply Austin Reaves a most contract if he reaches free company.
O’Connor prompt that Utah “I believe the Utah Jazz are going to be a staff that has huge curiosity in Austin Reaves this summer season,” given their cap flexibility and wish for a excessive IQ offensive hub. That form of supply would put the Lakers in an uncomfortable place, however the implications go nicely past merely matching a contract.
Why Utah’s curiosity creates actual stress now
From Utah’s perspective, the logic is obvious. They’ve cap house, a younger roster nonetheless looking for identification, and the flexibility to make Reaves a featured offensive piece fairly than a complementary one.
Reaves matches completely into that imaginative and prescient. He can deal with the ball, rating effectively, and elevate teammates with out dominating possessions. For a rebuilding staff, overpaying is much less about worth precision and extra about securing a dependable cornerstone.
For the Lakers, the hazard is timing. As soon as Reaves reaches the open market, outdoors groups management the leverage. Utah’s willingness to push a max deal forces Los Angeles to resolve whether or not Reaves matches their long run imaginative and prescient at that value level.
The Lakers’ future cap plan complicates every part
By the point Reaves’ subsequent contract really issues, LeBron James is probably going not on the roster. That adjustments the monetary math, but it surely doesn’t simplify the choice.
LeBron’s departure would liberate vital cap house, however that house isn’t earmarked for retention. It’s ammunition. The Lakers’ plan would nearly definitely be to chase one other star to pair subsequent to Luka Doncic.
That’s the key pressure. Committing a max contract to Reaves might get rid of flexibility wanted to pursue a extra becoming co-star, ideally a middle, for Doncic. Even when the Lakers can afford Reaves numerically, they might not need to afford him strategically.
In that state of affairs, Reaves turns into much less of a foundational piece and extra of a invaluable asset whose peak worth could also be proper now.
Why a commerce could be the cleanest final result
This isn’t about disrespecting Reaves. He has been instrumental within the Lakers’ success and stays one among their most trusted gamers. However roster building is about timing as a lot as expertise.
If the Lakers imagine their subsequent chapter is constructed round Doncic and one other extra becoming elite star, locking in Reaves at a max degree might limit their capacity to execute that plan. Buying and selling him now would enable Los Angeles to extract worth fairly than face a binary choice later.
Kevin O’Connor’s remark issues as a result of it reframes the danger. Utah doesn’t want the Lakers’ permission to reshape this example. If the Jazz are keen to overpay, Los Angeles might need to act earlier than free company removes their choices fully.
The Lakers aren’t selecting between protecting or dropping Reaves. They’re selecting between controlling the end result or reacting to it.
