Lakers Rumors: Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura Contracts Are 'Preferred Offseason' Moves

Maintaining continuity is a key focus for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Stein reported that re-signing Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura "continues to be regarded as the Lakers' preferred offseason course."

Stein reported Monday that Los Angeles was "determined" to keep the pair. He added that "there is frankly no scenario, based on what I know, that Reaves won't be a Laker next season."

One benefit to acquiring Hachimura ahead of the trade deadline was that Los Angeles would have a lot of flexibility with him this offseason. The 2019 first-round pick is a restricted free agent, so L.A. can match any offer sheet he signs with another team.

The same is true for Reaves, though his situation is more complicated because he falls under the so-called "Gilbert Arenas rule." The Lakers are capped at offering him $50-plus million over four years outright. However, they can go well above that amount if they're matching another team's offer.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported Wednesday that Reaves "is expected to draw interest and potential offer sheets from several teams with cap space this summer."

Hachimura didn't play all that well in the second half of the season following his move to the West Coast. His performance in the playoffs improved as he averaged 12.2 points and shot 48.7 percent from beyond the arc.

The 6'8" forward can be a solid role player for the team moving forward.

Reaves, meanwhile, was arguably Los Angeles' third-best player by the time the Western Conference finals concluded. His regular-season scoring average climbed from 7.3 points in 2021-22 to 13.0 in 2022-23, and he rose to the occasion in the postseason. The 24-year-old had seven outings with 20-plus points.

Spotrac projects the Lakers to have $29.6 million in practical salary cap space. That's not much money given the scale of the job ahead for general manager Rob Pelinka and the front office. It puts a premium on player retention as well.

In a vacuum, you can argue about how much the combined efforts of Reaves and Hachimura move the needle for L.A. as the organization chases an 18th championship. Given the team's cap situation, it doesn't have much choice but to pay whatever their market value proves to be.