NBA rumors: Raptors free agency target likely too expensive for Masai Ujiri

The Toronto Raptors are in such dire straits with regards to their backcourt depth that buyout addition Will Barton is eating up featured minutes and Malachi Flynn was thrown back into the lineup in a last-ditch effort to get some productivity out there. A player like Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves coming to this team in free agency would be a godsend.

Reaves has been a regular contributor for the Lakers during the last two seasons, though he has really kicked things up a notch this season. Reaves, a former undrafted free agent, is averaging 12.3 points per game while making 52% of his shots overall and 38% of his 3-pointers.

Reaves is scheduled to cash in this offseason, and the Raptors would do well to potentially take him off LA’s bench and make him the featured guy with their second unit. However, it sounds like the Raptors may not get the chance to bring him into Toronto in 2023.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers can offer Reaves a maximum contract of four years and $50.8 million. Not only will the Lakers likely give him this deal, but they will assuredly match any contract offer made to him if he hits the open market. Cross him off the list.

NBA rumors: Toronto Raptors likely won’t afford Austin Reaves.

With LA still in a position where their two stars are going to vacuum up a ton of cash and D’Angelo Russell also wants a new contract, there is at least some hope that Reaves could bolt in the same way that Alex Caruso managed to join the Chicago Bulls. However, it seems like both sides have a mutual interest in hammering out a deal.

Reaves seems like the type of player that Toronto needs off their bench. A microwave scorer who has shown that he can knock down open shots, Reaves could be a solid offensive player that doesn’t need the ball in his hands or an outrageous diet of shots every single day.

While Toronto will likely use their first-round draft choice on a player that can help the bench amid Gary Trent Jr. potentially testing the free agent market, that won’t be enough to completely fix the issue. Trent leaving could have opened up a spot for Reaves, but he doesn’t seem keen on filling it.