The Los Angeles Lakers may have found a gem in Austin Reaves. Hillbilly Kobe has become a fan favorite and played his way up Darvin Ham’s rotation, even becoming a starter in the final stretch of the NBA season.
Reaves is a high-energy guy, either starting or coming off the bench. He showed the utmost confidence and even had some massive games in the playoffs, becoming an integral part of the team.
Of course, he also played himself into a big contract, and multiple teams will look to pry him away from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Here, we take a look at some of those teams.
NBA Rumors: 3 Teams For Austin Reaves
3. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets don’t want to be bottom-feeders for much longer. They hired Ime Udoka to go back to their winning ways, and they might even make a run at James Harden.
With that in mind, they’ll look to be big spenders in the summer, and the word around the league is that they could look to sign Reaves to a very lucrative five-year deal.
2. San Antonio Spurs
Likewise, the San Antonio Spurs have more than enough cash to spare in free agency, and they’re looking to build a young, contending team, so he definitely fits that mold.
Gregg Popovich will build his team around Victor Wembanyama, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and Reaves is the kind of grit-and-grind, high-energy guy he’d love to coach.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly ready to match offers up to $100 million for Austin Reaves. They know they can’t make the same mistake they did with Alex Caruso.
Of course, they’d love to keep him around at the projected $54 million contract he was due to get. But now that other teams are also keeping tabs on him, they’ll likely have to pay up.
