Austin Reaves has been a major revelation for the Los Angeles Lakers squad this season. Undoubtedly, he has played a pivotal role in taking the LA side to the playoffs and reaching the conference finals. It has been a roller coaster ride in the last two years for the Reaves family as well. It was a real shocker for AR when nobody picked him from the 2021 drafts. Although later that same year, he signed with the Lakers.
Initially, he did not get a chance in the starting lineup. But gradually, Reaves made it to the coach’s choice for the starting lineup. However, only in his sophomore year in NBA did Austin Reaves emerge as a rising star. However, he would become a restricted free agent in the offseason. And the Los Angeles Lakers will try not to let him go from the team for a long time. Albeit, it won’t be easy for them because Reaves has raised his demand along with his stock.
Jovan Buha Thinks The Lakers Have A Stiff Competition To Keep Austin Reaves
The Oklahoma Sooners kid has become a fan favorite. The Lakers faithful won’t want to let him go. Moreover, Austin Reaves mentioned that he wanted to stay in Los Angeles forever. He has been a fan of Kobe Bryant since he started watching this game. But the concern is if the Lakers have the cap space to let him stay. The Lakers cannot offer him more than $50 million, but there are other teams, like Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic, willing to offer him more. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic might be interested in Austin Reaves.
The young Laker might be a good fit for the young team of the Rockets. They have Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Moreover, they might be hunting for a third guard to boost their roster. The popular theory is James Harden will come back to the Rockets. But Buva thinks that the plan B for the Rockets is Austin Reaves. However, for Orlando Magic, Jovan Buha thinks it will be more appropriate for AR in the next couple of years. The Magic will have an attractive young core group of players as the Rookie of the Year, Paola Banchero, is headlining their roster. Franz Wagner, a pretty good three-level player, is also on their team. Who knows, the Magic or the Rockets can offer Austin Reaves a four-year contract worth $90 million.
AR Doing A Steph Curry Vs Warriors Is Still The Best Lakers Moment In Playoffs
However, coming to this year, the sophomore kid impressed everybody with his incredible basketball IQ. When LeBron James was unavailable for a month due to a tendon injury concern on his right foot, Austin Reaves was there to provide quality support to Anthony Davis. Moreover, throughout the season, AR proved that he is very consistent, and he can get clutch points as well.
Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell were not consistent at all throughout the playoffs. But AR displayed consistency throughout the playoffs as well. The most memorable moment of the playoffs for the Lakers fans would be the moment when the sophomore kid did a Steph Curry against the Warriors in Round 2. It was right before halftime when from a 54m distance, Austin scored a three-pointer.
