The Brooklyn Nets (1-10) are 11 games into the 2025-26 NBA season and thus far, it has not been pretty to watch for any Nets fans that were hoping for a winning season. Brooklyn is focused on the five rookies that they selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, but is there a chance that they could be interested in one particular free-agent next offseason?
“AR’s a stud. If I were the Brooklyn Nets, I would throw all the money at him. He has shown when he gets the keys to the engine, he can produce,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote based on what he was told by an Eastern Conference executive. The executive was talking about Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who has a $14.8 player option for the 2026-27 season.
While Reaves could accept his player option and/or sign an extension with the Lakers, he is also producing at a level that could warrant him getting paid significantly more than $15 million per season on his next contract. As of this writing, Reaves is averaging 30.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game while shooting 48.0% from the field and 32.4% from three-point land.
Part of the reason that Reaves is averaging those numbers is due to the fact that forward LeBron James has yet to make his season debut as he deals with sciatica while guard Luka Doncic missed some time due to injuries as well. How this relates to the Nets is due to the fact that Brooklyn should be one of a few teams that should have the cap space available to make a run at him.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes that what could prevent the Nets from gaining leverage in signing Reaves next summer is that the Lakers can offer him a five-year, $241 million deal while Brooklyn would only be able to offer him four years and $178.5 million. This very well could be James’ last season in the NBA so the Lakers could commit to building around Doncic and Reaves, but if not, the Nets could be the team to swoop in with a lucrative offer in free-agency.