The Los Angeles Lakers have formally announced Tuesday that they extended qualifying offers for Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, making both players become restricted free agents heading to this summer’s free agency.
Hachimura’s qualifying offer reached over $7.7 million. Reaves has tallied $2.1 million for his part.
The Lakers have already stressed out their strongest intent to retain the duo this offseason as they served as a crucial element to their remarkable season turnaround and a Conference Finals finish last 2022-23 campaign.
In his second year with the Lakers, Reaves blossomed into one of the most promising players in the league as he further elevated his offensive arsenal and potential. He averaged 13 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.0 boards during the regular season, but he became even more astounding for the Lakers as their third-best player behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis within the postseason arena by etching 16.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.4 boards for 16 pivotal matches.
The franchise’s prized midseason acquisition, Hachimura quickly found a home in Los Angeles after being shipped by the Washington Wizards. His length, scoring reliability and versatility fitted perfectly for the Lakers by averaging 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 33 regular season games. His scoring numbers improved to 12.2 points mark in the playoffs.
Upon making Reaves and Hachimura restricted free agents, the Lakers have positioned themselves to match any offer that other rival teams will present on both cagers.
