In the offseason, the Indiana Pacers chose not to sign Bennedict Mathurin to a rookie-scale contract extension despite being eligible for one. Now, the Canadian native is set to hit restricted free agency at the end of the season.
Though Mathurin becoming a restricted free agent technically gives Indiana the leverage since it can match any contract offer he gets from opposing teams. This doesn't mean that the team is guaranteed to bring him back next summer.
One of the main reasons the Pacers chose not to sign Mathurin to a new deal in the offseason was essentially for financial purposes. Signing him to a new deal now would push them much closer to the luxury tax, if not past that threshold. This is something the Pacers have been able to avoid for two decades, and it was supposedly one of the reasons the team didn't bring Myles Turner back in free agency (depending on who you ask).
Instead, the team wants the Arizona alum to prove his worth and value this season before committing to him for the long run.
Because of this, if another team offered Mathurin too big a contract as a restricted free agent next summer (which is still possible considering how good he looked before suffering an injury), then Indiana may have no choice but to let him walk. The Pacers would lose him for nothing, and this risky move ultimately backfires.
It remains to be seen if this is going to play out in this way, but for now, the Pacers can look at Austin Reaves' situation with the Los Angeles Lakers as a warning for what may inevitably occur.
Austin Reaves is playing out of his mind this season
Like Mathurin, Reaves was eligible for a contract extension in the offseason. The Lakers did offer him a new contract, but the Arkansas native reportedly rejected a four-year, $89.2 million (h/t Dan Woike of The Athletic). This is because he has a $14.9 million player option for next season. And as it stands, it seems like a guarantee he is going to decline it and earn himself a nice payday.
To begin the new season, Reaves isn't just having a breakout season. He's playing at an MVP level.
Through his first seven games, the 27-year-old is averaging 31.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.4 steals. Additionally, he is shooting 48.9% from the field and 34.4% from deep. Most of his games were as the first or second option without LeBron James (who has yet to make his season debut as he deals with sciatica) and Luka Doncic (who missed four games due to a finger and leg injury).
Reaves isn't just putting up numbers, though. He is impacting winning in a major way as Los Angeles is 5-2 in the games that he has played so far.
The Oklahoma native is also passing the eye test. He has stepped up in a major way in a bigger role, but he looks greatly improved. Reaves looks much more comfortable with the ball in his hands, using his shiftiness to generate good looks for himself and his improved playmaking to generate looks for his teammates.
Reaves looks great, but he's also making his teammates better. And he's doing all of this without arguably the greatest NBA player to ever play taking some pressure off of him.
The Lakers guard bet on himself, and so far, it's looking like the right call. He is likely going to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer and could have a chance to secure the bag, whether it's in Los Angeles or not.
For many teams, this could be a great sign as it would make the Lakers much weaker. However, for the Pacers, they need to view this as a warning of what could be in store for Mathurin ahead of his free agency.