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Longtime Lakers Western Conference Rival Targeting Austin Reaves In Free Agency

Austin Reaves figures to garner a lot of interest in free agency, and a longtime rival in a rebuilding stage will be one of those suitors.

Matt Wagner

Longtime Lakers Western Conference Rival Targeting Austin Reaves In Free Agency
Longtime Lakers Western Conference Rival Targeting Austin Reaves In Free Agency /
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The offseason has arrived for the Los Angeles Lakers after an up and down season where they reached unexpected heights.

After falling as low as 13th in the Western Conference standings midway through the 2022-23 season, the Lakers furiously battled back to get to the Play-In Tournament and ultimately reached the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

Impending restricted free agent Austin Reaves played a significant part in catapulting the Lakers to their unlikely playoff run, becoming a reliable option in catch-and-shoot situations and largely cementing himself as a starter in the playoffs.

The Oklahoma Sooners product who was signed to a two-way contract by Los Angeles in 2021 is due to cash in on the back of that impressive stretch and is due to cash in this summer, with the Lakers eager to bring him back into the fold.

There will be no shortage of suitors for the quickly developing Reaves, and one of them will be a longtime Lakers rival who are trying to rebuild to their former greatness.

Appearing on The HoopsHype Podcast with Michael Scotto recently, Jovan Buha of The Athletic revealed that the San Antonio Spurs are a candidate to bring in Reaves this offseason.

The Spurs are in a rebuilding stage, but given that they just won the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft -- and the right to a generational prospect in French big man Victor Wembenyama -- that stage could be rapidly accelerated.

Bringing in a quality shooter like Reaves would be a solid fit for a struggling Spurs offense, who ranked 23rd in the NBA in points per game during the regular season with 113 per contest.

Of course, the Lakers do have the right to match any offer sheet Reaves receives this summer, and given the Lakers consider him a priority free agent, it seems unlikely that Reaves will be leaving Los Angeles.

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Matt Wagner
MATT WAGNER

Matt Wagner was born and raised in southern California, and he lived there before moving to Colorado and getting his B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2022. He relocated back to southern California in 2023 and is looking forward to covering the teams that mean so much to his home area. Some of his past work is in Bleacher Report, Dodgers Tailgate, and, most recently, Colorado Buffaloes Wire. Aside from writing, you can probably catch him petting the nearest dog or eating some good Mexican food.

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