Lakers' Austin Reaves Could Make Astonishing Amount on Open Market

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a tough spot this offseason. They are trying to find a way to improve the team in a meaningful way after a disappointing first-round loss in the playoffs.

It's clear that the Lakers need more defense. That was the big question about them heading into the playoffs, and they weren't quite able to deliver.

Austin Reaves had a particularly tough postseason. All of his numbers went down, including his three-point shooting numbers. He's already a bad defensive player, so that meant he wasn't being effective at all on the court.

There have been rumors that the Lakers could look to unload Reaves in a trade in order to improve their defense. Those rumors are coming from outside the building because it seems like the Lakers believe he is very valuable.

Part of that is because of the contract that he has signed to. If he were to ever hit the free agent market, he would be able to make a ton of money.

If the Lakers did let him become a free agent after next season, he could sign a contract up to 25 percent of the salary cap with the Lakers or another team. That means that he could make up to $42.5 million in the first year of a new deal.

For that reason, the Lakers view him as one of their core players. They understand how much he improved on the offensive side of the court this season, setting career highs in almost every stat.

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Los Angeles still needs to find a way to improve their defense, but that will likely come in the form of getting a better center. They need to find a better option than Jaxson Hayes.

Reaves proved multiple times throughout the regular season that he can carry the offense when Luka Doncic and LeBron James are out of the lineup.

Los Angeles needs a third scorer, and Reaves is one of the best third scorers in the league. They just need to figure out the interior defense.

This past season, Reaves averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. All are career highs.

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