Nets Could Pressure Lakers In Austin Reaves Market

Austin Reaves already has one obvious leverage point before free agency: Brooklyn can make things expensive.

Michael Scotto reported that the Nets have Reaves on their radar and have the clearest path to offering him a max contract outright. The belief around the league remains that if the Lakers offer Reaves close to the max, or the full number, he will stay in Los Angeles.

The pressure point is the gap between what Reaves can command and what the Lakers are willing to put on the table. If Los Angeles low-balls him, Scotto reported that Reaves would consider other offers, and a sign-and-trade could enter the picture.

That makes Brooklyn a useful team to watch even if Reaves' first preference is still tied to the Lakers. The Nets have cap flexibility, a need for more reliable creation and enough room to force a serious number into the negotiation.

For the Lakers, the decision is not only about Reaves in isolation. It is about how much they want to invest in a guard who has become one of their most dependable offensive pieces while still trying to build around Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

Reaves has value because he can handle, shoot, attack closeouts and function without needing every possession to run through him. Those skills travel, which is why a team like Brooklyn can look at him as more than just a Lakers role player.

The sign-and-trade possibility matters because it would give Los Angeles a way to avoid losing him for nothing if the offer sheet gets uncomfortable. It would also give Reaves a path to another team if the Lakers decide not to match his market.

Nothing here means Reaves is leaving. It does mean the Lakers may not control the negotiation unless they are willing to meet the market. Brooklyn's interest gives Reaves leverage, and that is the part Los Angeles has to manage before free agency opens.