Austin Reaves to play for Germany?

“I’m very interested. I’ve already talked to Dennis Schroder about it. A year ago, I had a lengthy conversation with the national team’s coach Gordon Herbert. I really feel like it,” Reaves told Bild in February. Reaves’ grandmother is from Germany, which allowed him to become a German citizen. -via BasketNews / March 24, 2023

However, since the CBA creates such a big difference between where the contract starts and ends in these cases, a maximum allowable Reaves offer sheet like this requires $24.7 million in cap space: the average value of the entire contract rather than the first-year salary. This same calculation applies for an offer sheet that jumps more than a “normal” 5 percent in the third year but not all the way to Reaves’ max should that happen instead, so that narrows the pool of teams that can credibly make the offer in the first place. Also, the Lakers cannot sign-and-trade Reaves to a contract like this because, as discussed above, they do not have the ability to sign him to it in the first place. -via The Athletic / March 24, 2023

That makes it an all-or-nothing proposition for both the Lakers and potential suitors, and the Arenas provision creates a fascinating dynamic because there is a scenario in which the Lakers can pay Reaves more than they can sign him to themselves but only if another team actually makes the bid and is willing to tie up its cap space as the Lakers decide whether or not to match. -via The Athletic / March 24, 2023