Reacts: Lakers must prioritize Austin Reaves in free agency this summer

Mar 27, 2023 - 12:00 AM

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With their host of deals at the trade deadline, the Lakers now have a host of decisions to make this offseason. A mixture of unrestricted and restricted free agents will lead to a number of players set for either big paydays or departures from Los Angeles.

Between Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Troy Brown Jr. and Dennis Schröder, there are a lot of crucial players that need decisions made about their future with the franchise.

This week’s SB Nations Reacts survey asked fans who the most important Lakers free agent was and who should be prioritized first. While the top response may not be surprising, the margin between first and second might be.

My hypothesis, which is also based on the comments we’ll see shortly, is a mixture of some recency bias and the fact that, while the decision between Reaves and D’Lo is a tough and close one, it’s one most sides chose Reaves on.

And scanning the comments, it seems to be the thought most others had.

Reaves is certainly a very impactful player and one that is going to be imperative for the Lakers to keep around this summer. Fortunately, there’s no history of them bottling a pretty easy free agency decision.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.