Austin Reaves has moved into the center of the 2026 offseason market, and the list of teams with potential interest reportedly includes the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks.
Dan Woike reported in The Athletic on Friday that “league sources said the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks are among a group of interested teams that can create space to make competitive offers.” The report also said the Brooklyn Nets are expected to pursue Reaves aggressively, with “a four-year, $178.5 million contract expected to be offered.”
The Lakers still hold the trump card. Woike wrote that Los Angeles has “an exclusive negotiating window following the conclusion of the NBA season and before the opening of free agency on June 30,” and that because Reaves carries “a relatively small cap hold ($20.9 million), the Lakers would like to agree to a deal but hold off signing Reaves until they execute the rest of their offseason business.”
That flexibility matters because Reaves has become much more than a secondary piece. He averaged career-high 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 51 games for the Lakers, shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from three. He also posted 6.3 free-throw attempts per game and made 87.1 percent of them, production that helped keep Los Angeles afloat alongside Luka Doncic.
The Lakers finished 53-29, won the Pacific Division and earned the No. 4 seed in the West, but their postseason ended with a first-round win over Houston and a second-round sweep at the hands of Oklahoma City. Reaves’ role only grew as the season went on, and his offensive load with Doncic turned him into one of the more productive guards on the market.
Detroit’s interest would make sense for a team that already has a young core and room to be aggressive. Cade Cunningham averaged 23.9 points and 9.9 assists, Jalen Duren posted 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, and the Pistons finished 60-22 and first in the Eastern Conference. Adding Reaves would give Detroit another high-level shot creator to pair with Cunningham, especially one who can score without needing a steady diet of isolation possessions.
Atlanta could also be in the mix because of its need for another dependable perimeter creator. The Hawks finished 46-36 and were led by Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels, but Reaves would give them a proven half-court scorer with playoff-level usage. His ability to handle, shoot and generate offense fits a roster that already features several productive wings and guards.
There is also a broader financial wrinkle. Woike noted that “teams are approaching free agency with increased caution because of the restrictions tied to the league’s first and second tax aprons, potentially leading to more conservative spending than in previous summers.”
That means Reaves’ market may be shaped as much by cap mechanics as by talent. The Lakers can offer the largest deal if they keep him, but rival teams with space could try to force a decision before Los Angeles finishes the rest of its offseason work.
