Spurs 'Dark Horse' to Sign Lakers' Austin Reaves? There's 1 Problem

Austin Reaves certainly played like the Los Angeles Lakers' third-best player during an impressive playoff run, averaging 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists this postseason. Is this enough for the San Antonio Spurs to throw a major contract his way?

The biggest addition of the San Antonio Spurs' offseason will undoubtedly be the inevitable selection of Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft this month. Barring prime Michael Jordan arriving via time machine and joining the Spurs, Wembanyama will be San Antonio's star of the future and understandably has the fan base shaking with excitement.

But it's the potential pieces the Spurs put around their French superstar that will make all the difference for both his success and the team's eventual championship aspirations.

With tons of cap space at their disposal, the Spurs could make some solid splashes in free agency this summer. A name to watch on the market has been Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who would fill a need for San Antonio by bringing aboard a ball-handling, pick-and-roll guard that also has proven catch-and-shoot and scoring ability.

The Athletic's Lakers beat reporter Jovan Buha recently made an appearance on the HoopsHype podcast and listed the Spurs as a "dark horse" to watch in the race for one of the league's most interesting risers.

"I’ve heard that there are going to be multiple suitors out there in talking with people around the league," Buha said. "You mentioned Orlando and Houston. I’ve heard San Antonio could be a dark horse team that will try to poach Austin from the Lakers."

However, Reaves, 25, is a restricted free agent and is bound to the Lakers if they choose to match a potential contact from another team. This is where the problems come in for the Spurs, as The Athletic is reporting that the Lakers will match any offer sheet for Reaves up to the $100 million mark. Once it gets into this range, it could be hard to see the Spurs want to throw even more money at him in a bidding war.

"The Lakers are going to match any contract offer sheet that he signs up to that $100 million," Buha said. " ... The Lakers view him as the third-best player on this team if you look at the regular season and postseason he had."

Even on a Western Conference Finals team headlined by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves certainly played like LA's third-best player during an impressive playoff run. Averaging 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the playoffs, Reaves reached the double-digit scoring mark in 15 of 16 postseason games, which included seven 20-point games.

It's understandable to see why the Lakers would want to keep him as a part of a core that exceeded expectations this season.

"I think the Lakers are going to retain him," Buha said. "Obviously, their preference would be to sign him to the four-year, $54 million deal. ... He’s priority No. 1 for the Lakers this offseason. I think they learned from the Alex Caruso situation."

If the Spurs are serious about pursuing Reaves, they may want to invest their energy elsewhere. He's earned his money with a shiny new contract, but it's tough to see that coming from the Spurs, who are unlikely to go bid-for-bid with the Lakers once that number reaches the $100 million range.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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