Lakers have officially extended qualifying offers to Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, making them both restricted free agents

Lakers have officially extended qualifying offers to Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, making them both restricted free agents.

Several of the 2019 NBA draft’s best players have already signed long-term extensions. Those who haven’t, including Rui Hachimura and Cameron Johnson, will soon have their first opportunity to choose their own team in restricted free agency.

However, their respective teams will have the ability to match any offer sheets they might sign with another squad.

If that wrinkle wasn’t in place, this summer’s top restricted free agents make sense for plenty of organizations that aren’t the incumbents. Here, you’ll find the ideal fits for six of them. For example, there are teams like the Houston Rockets who could chase after Reaves with a big offer though that is largely contingent on if James Harden returns. Meanwhile, Hachimura will surely have his fair share of suitors given the lack of young wings available in the market.

The Lakers have the ability to match any offer for either of its players, so keeping them on the team for next season is entirely in their hands. Although the price tags on both might be more rich than they’d like, retaining them is crucial if they’re serious about maintaining continuity and chemistry.

No one will be surprised if the Los Angeles Lakers go star-hunting this summer. We likely haven’t seen the last of the Lakers-Kyrie Irving rumors.

But the wiser course forward for L.A. may be leaning on continuity with last season’s core that made it to the Western Conference Finals.

On paper, lineups with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura have a good mix of size, playmaking and shooting. Hachimura checks two of those boxes, while also being able to guard a variety of players and positions. Two players of high priority are Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, who showed off what they could do in the postseason. Reaves thrived as an on-ball option that could handle the scoring and playmaking duties when James was on the bench, while Hachimura provided the team another person capable of taking advantage of mismatches and getting his own bucket.

Both Reaves and Hachimura are in line for massive pay days either from the Lakers or someone else and the purple and gold took the first step in re-signing the two by extending their qualifying offers, they announced on Tuesday evening.