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Heading into the offseason, the San Antonio Spurs had a ton of cap space, and with Victor Wembanyama coming into the fold, some questioned whether or not they would spend some money in an attempt to put together a competent roster. Ultimately, they just made a few filler trades and preserved future flexibility.
But before they made their decisions, they reportedly had an eye on Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves. The 25-year-old said he thought about joining the Spurs during an appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. And more recently, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype revealed that the interest was mutual.
According to Scotto, the Spurs “considered” giving Reaves an offer sheet worth $21 million but were too worried that the Lakers would just match it.
“The Spurs considered offering Reaves a restricted free agency sheet worth $21 million per season, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto said. “Ultimately, however, the Spurs were scared off by the widespread belief that the Lakers would match any offer sheet for Reaves and chose to preserve cap space as a salary dump destination for future draft pick compensation.”
The Lakers ended up signing Reaves to a four-year, $54 million contract, so it seems likely that they would have matched any offer the Spurs threw his way.
That being said, Reaves would have been a great fit in San Antonio. His mix of shot creation and playmaking would have paired nicely alongside Wembanyama.
Do you think the Spurs should have made Reaves an offer?
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