In a matter of months, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has gone from an undrafted player with potential to a hot commodity.
He blossomed in a big way this season, and his production gradually increased as time wore on. He moved into the starting lineup in March and did very well in his first playoff appearance, averaging 16.9 points and 4.6 assists a game while shooting 44.3% from 3-point range.
Reaves will be a restricted free agent this summer, and multiple teams are expected to try to pry him away from L.A. One of those teams is the Houston Rockets, Michael Scotto said during a recent HoopsHype podcast.
Via HoopsHype:
“Should Harden not come to Houston, the Rockets are expected to have interest in Lakers restricted free agent Austin Reaves, I’m told.”
During that same podcast, Kelly Iko, who covers the Rockets for The Athletic, added this nugget:
“Reaves is a guy they like a lot.”
Keeping Reaves is reportedly a very high priority for the Lakers this offseason. For them to hold on to him, they will have to be more generous than they have been lately when it comes to paying their own non-star free agents.