Team Emerges With Interest in Lakers Guard Austin Reaves: Report

Austin Reaves is expected to opt out of his $14.9 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers, becoming an unrestricted free agent before the 2026-27 NBA season.

Reaves is fresh off the best season of his career, averaging 23.3 points and 5.5 assists per game. The 28-year-old guard improved his production in each season since joining the Lakers as an undrafted free agent in 2021.

Once he becomes a free agent, Reaves is expected to be one of the hottest names on the market. And according to Lakers insider Dave McMenamin of ESPN, one team has emerged with interest in acquiring him this offseason.

“One team expected to have interest in Reaves is the Brooklyn Nets, multiple league sources said. The Nets have enough cap space to offer Reaves the four-year max deal and are still rebuilding after the short-lived Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving-James Harden era,” McMenamin reported on Thursday.

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While the Nets may have interest in Reaves, the star guard has consistently stated his desire to play for the Lakers for the remainder of his NBA career.

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Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka acknowledges that both sides hope to get a deal done before the 2026-27 NBA season.

“He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said during his exit interview. “And we feel the same way. We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the Purple and Gold. … I think both sides have made it abundantly clear that we want to work something out where he continues his prolific career here.”

The Lakers can offer Reaves a five-year deal worth $241 million.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 12:05 PM.