Austin Reaves and LeBron James are two of the biggest free agents this offseason, and a contrasting report on the Los Angeles Lakers duo could give the Golden State Warriors a clue on their chances of landing the superstar forward.
The Warriors are the biggest suitor for James should he leave the Lakers, and there seemingly remains some uncertainty over the 4x MVP's future in Los Angeles, particularly in comparison to Reaves.
Austin Reaves report could give Warriors hidden LeBron clue
In a major update on Sunday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Lakers are expected to re-sign Reaves after the 28-year-old just enjoyed another career-best season during his fifth year.
"The Lakers are widely expected to re-sign Reaves, whose fondness for Lakerland as well as his blossoming backcourt partnership alongside Luka Dončić are regarded as strong lures that suggest the sides will ultimately come to terms on a new pact," Stein wrote.
While this is a notable, albeit unsurprising development, the more curious element may be what Stein didn't report about James. The 41-year-old was mentioned alongside Reaves as "two of the foremost names on the league's list of unrestricted free agents-to-be," but Stein failed to provide any clarity on James' future in a way that was delivered on Reaves.
Is this at all a reflection that there's nothing to report because James' future is truly uncertain? The Warriors will certainly be hopeful of that being the case, particularly given the Lakers have a two-week jumpstart on them in terms of negotiating with the 22x All-Star.
Is it also a reflection that Reaves is the number one priority for the Lakers when it comes to their two free agents? That wouldn't be surprising given the contrast in age and the respective point of their careers, but it nonetheless gives the Warriors another reason to hope that James could be seriously in play for them.
Warriors "really in play" for LeBron according to Bill Simmons
The James-Warriors rumors have only been heating up more and more in recent weeks, to the point notable NBA analyst Bill Simmons declared on Saturday night that he'd bet his life on Golden State being the outcome for James in free agency.
That's a strong statement but reflective of the growing sentiment, though others still have the Lakers as the favorites to re-sign James and keep him in Los Angeles for what would be a ninth season (and potentially beyond).
Either way both teams have plenty of work to do in free agency, especially as they each find themselves a significant rung (or in the Warriors' case perhaps two) behind the top teams in the Western Conference.
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