5 Players Los Angeles Lakers should absolutely bring back in 2023-24

Austin Reaves

Austin Reaves has proven he can a reliable third option on a championship-level team. Throughout the playoffs, his offense, whether off the ball or on the ball, has been crucial to this playoff run. He’s even shown he can take over games in the fourth multiple times, which is an interesting element of what he can add in the future.

During this postseason run with the Lakers, Reaves averaged 17 points, five assists, and four rebounds on 46 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent shooting from 3-point range. He was arguably the team’s most consistent player this postseason.

The Lakers know Reaves is the kind of player they need for their core, but with his contract expiring this offseason, it might not be possible. Especially considering that he’s going to have plenty of outside interest as an unrestricted free agent. That said, even if the Lakers have to overpay a bit, I don’t think the Lakers can afford to lose Reaves in free agency.