Robert Horry: Austin Reaves has to do what's best for him

Los Angeles Lakers star guard Austin Reaves is almost certainly going to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer. While some fans of the team want him to be sent out in a sign-and-trade in order to give the roster more balance, many want Reaves to stay put on a new contract.

>While the Lakers will have plenty of salary cap space, they also will want to re-sign some of their other key players, including LeBron James. The Brooklyn Netshave been mentioned as an outside team that could make Reaves a big offer in free agency, and overall, rival executives reportedly feel he could command $40 million a year.

>Robert Horry, a seven-time NBA champion who won three rings with the Lakers, said on ESPN L.A. that Reaves has to ultimately do what's best for him.

“I think with Reaves, he has to do what is best for him,” Horry said.

>“Sometimes fans forget that. We want him to stay, but at the end of the day, his life. He has to do what is best for him. Let’s say some team is going to offer you $180 million, and the Lakers are going to offer you $120 million. That is $40 million.

>“... He got to make up that $40 million,” Horry jokingly added. “... I love AR. At the end of the day, you have to do what’s best for you.”

One way or another, Reaves is going to get paid handsomely this summer. However, it is very questionable whether he would take a bigger contract to play for a team like the Nets that went 20-62 this season and won't be much better next season, even with him.

>He will still receive the kind of money that will make him and his family financially secure for many generations to come if he stays with the Lakers. But one thing money cannot buy is an NBA championship ring, and Reaves seems like the kind of man who has a strong desire to get one.

>This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Robert Horry: Austin Reaves has to do what's best for him