Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Los Angeles' Offseason Plans
The Los Angeles Lakers can't afford to look ahead, as they're about to tussle with the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors with a trip to the Western Conference Finals on the line.
We aren't bound by the same restriction, though.
Look, we're excited as anyone to see how far the Purple and Gold can take this playoff run, but we also know huge decisions must be made this summer. You can bet that Lakers front-office members have already mulled those decisions over about a million times.
These are big enough talking points, in fact, that some of these rumblings have made their way to the rumor mill. We'll break down the latest buzz below.
Austin Reaves Has Universal Appeal in Free Agency?
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If you broke down all the reasons why the Lakers were able to sprint through the stretch run with the second-highest winning percentage after the All-Star break, Austin Reaves' ascension would land somewhere near the top.
He had been a good player before, but this jump perhaps put him on the doorstep of stardom. In 23 games after the break, he averaged 17.6 points on 57.8/44.3/85.6 shooting with 5.5 assists against 2.0 turnovers.
He was so good, in fact, that the entire Association may have taken note.
As a rival executive told ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Reaves might be a good fit for "literally every team in the league" in free agency.
Reaves can play in both support and starring roles. His skill set features very few weaknesses, and since he only turns 25 this month, it's very possible he hasn't shown his best form yet.
His stock sure seems worth buying, which could put the Lakers in a tricky spot if an outside suitor wants to blow up his bank account. McMenamin noted Reaves and the Lakers seem to have mutual interest in extending their relationship, but this could get interesting in a hurry if someone puts a massive amount of money in front of him.
Lakers Out on Kyrie Irving?
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Kyrie Irving snagged a courtside seat for L.A.'s Game 6 dismantling of the Memphis Grizzlies. He even dapped up LeBron James before the contest.
You didn't need to be a conspiracy theorist to want to attach extra meaning to the visit and the exchange. Irving, after all, is a former championship running mate of James, and the Lakers attempted to put that twosome back together at the trade deadline.
With unrestricted free agency now awaiting Irving, could his appearance have served as the teaser for a summer blockbuster? Maybe not, actually.
"No matter how close Irving might be to James, the Lakers are disinterested in pursuing him in free agency," The Athletic's Tim Cato wrote. "... To acquire him would require jettisoning several deadline acquisitions who have helped revitalize their season and land them in a second-round series against the Golden State Warriors."
This feels a little too definitive for this point on the calendar. It's too early to tell exactly how much Irving will command on the open market—other then the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, who are even potential suitors?—so it seems premature to think L.A. has crossed him off the list already.
Like most things, this probably comes down to price—both in terms of Irving's contract and the roster sacrifices that would have to be made to sign him. If they could get him without having to gut their supporting cast, they would have to at least consider it.
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