Lakers News: Expert Ranks Austin Reaves Among Top 3 Free Agent Shooting Guards

The restricted FA is worth a lot more than you think!

The NBA Finals have passed, which means the off-season begins as teams prepare to shop for the hottest and most valuable players in the market. One player that made a lot of noise in the playoffs is on a lot of teams' shopping lists; and that man is Lakers Shooting Guard, Austin Reaves. 

Finishing the last year of his two-year contract that he signed with the Lakers in 2021, the Undrafted Sophomore could be headed elsewhere due to a salary cap hit in Los Angeles. But how much is Reaves worth in the free agency market?

According to The Athletic's, John Hollinger, and his BORD$ valuation, Reaves is worth up to around a $98 million/4-year deal, with about $23 million a year, marking him as the third-highest valued shooting guard in the NBA.

This possibility is huge for Reaves, who averaged 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the Lakers' playoff run that ended in the Conference Finals. 

"Reaves is the rare case of a player limited by the so-called Arenas rule because he signed a two-year contract when he entered the league...That limits him to signing with the Lakers for the league’s average salary, projected at $12 million a year."

Via The Athletic - John Hollinger

Reaves' original deal with the Lakers was a two-way contract for two years, earning him a base salary of about $2.5 million. Unfortunately for the Lakers, they will most likely not be able to re-sign Austin Reaves for more than $53 million/4 years, because they gave him a two-year contract when he entered the league.

Loyalty can be a factor in this decision that Austin Reaves will have to make. Do you stay and ride out the good wave that you have been on with the team that has brought to the Association for a pay cut? Or do you leave La La Land and head elsewhere to cash a massive check? 

Ahead of NBA free agency, Lakers guard Austin Reaves and Chinese company Rigorer are finalizing a signature shoe deal that is expected to reach over seven figures per year. Reaves on the new AR1: pic.twitter.com/B7WSCzGvri

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2023

It might take some time for us to find out about his next destination, as he is probably too busy signing shoe deals in China. 

^ Please add hyperlink of Patrick Warren's article on Reaves shoe deal to the paragraph above ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

All in all, if you were to tell me that I'd be earning a possible $98 million more in the next four years, it would be very difficult for me to say no to that. Let's see how Austin Reaves will shake up the offseason.