NBA Trade Rumors: Anonymous Executive Reveals $5.6B Team Going Full Throttle on Austin Reaves This Offseason Despite $40M Projection For Lakers Star

Austin Reaves has been playing the best basketball of his career this season, and this stellar performance has significantly raised his value. While the LA Lakers guard can sign a lucrative contract with his current team, another ball club could have the means to secure his services.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, an anonymous Eastern Conference executive has identified the Brooklyn Nets as a team that can and should aggressively pursue Reaves.

"AR's a stud," the executive told McMenamin. "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."

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On the one hand, the Nets (a franchise with a team value of $5.6 billion as per Forbes) are in desperate neSed of a number one scoring option. Ranking 24th in offensive rating, Brooklyn has won just one of their first 11 outings this season. Getting Reaves would be the first step in establishing a clear identity for their long-term prospects.

On the other hand, Reaves could be enticed to stay with the Lakers as he could be eligible for a contract that could pay him $40 million per year. In addition, the Nets are projected to have a little under $11 million in cap space, which limits their chances to sign a player of Reaves' caliber.

This season, the fifth-year Laker is averaging 28.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. There are questions, however, surrounding his production once LeBron James returns and shares the floor with Luka Doncic once again.

"They beat the s*** out of us tonight": Austin Reaves get candid on Lakers' performance in blowout loss to Thunder

There are nights, however, when the Lakers can't seem to get things going. One such instance happened on Wednesday night, when the purple and gold squad suffered a 121-92 defeat at the hands of the OKC Thunder.

After the game, Reaves minced no words in his assessment of his team's performance.

"Just to be blunt, they beat the s*** out of us tonight," Reaves told reporters.

That night, Reaves finished with just 13 points on 4-for-12 shooting from the field. He missed all five of his three-point attempts, and the Lakers as a whole shot 31.4% from deep against the stingy Thunder defense.

Edited by Simoun Victor Redoblado