(The original text was published on January 12, and the content is the analysis of the expert group in the bleachers, which does not represent the translator’s point of view)
From now until the NBA trading deadline on February 9, the Lakers still have some decisions to make. Is the arrangement of Anthony Davis returning to the agenda too radical? How many more lineup puzzles does the Lakers need to be in the Championship? What trading plan can help the Lakers? As there are still some questions about Davis’s health, is it necessary for the Lakers to shuttle?
Eric Pincus, a reporter from the bleachers, analyzed the above problems and revealed some choices in front of the Lakers, one of the teams with the highest exposure and the richest topics in the league:
Go all out to use two frequently discussed first-round signatures in 2027and 2029to see if players like Bill and drozan have a chance to get them;
Or send out one of the first round signatures in exchange for a helper with less fame like Boyang Bogdanovic;
If Davis and James can keep healthy, simply adjust the role lineup is enough?
Or the management does nothing, leaving the first round of signing, and let the existing lineup continue like this?
In other words, the Lakers either pursue a heavy deal, or make an obvious lineup upgrade, or make minor repairs to the existing lineup, or the simplest-do nothing. Based on these choices, the expert group in the bleachers analyzed the choices they thought were the most suitable for the Lakers and provided specific trading plans.
Heavy trading
Lakers get: Miles Turner, Buddy Hilde
Pacers get: Russell-Westbrook, first round signing in 2027, first round signing in 2029
Andy Bailey: The game between the Lakers and Pacers has started at least since last year’s offseason. The problem is that the current leader of the walkers, Halliburton, has played an all-star level, and his outstanding performance is enough to persuade the walkers to withdraw from the deal completely. Eric Pincus, a reporter from The bleachers, mentioned in a recent report that walkers did not intend to mess up, but Matt Moore, a reporter from The Action Network website, believed that The door to deal Turner was open. Moore said: “This week, multiple sources said that if Turner’s renewal failed, the walkers would eventually trade him. I think so too. Turner’s name has appeared countless times in trading rumors.”
If the Lakers put the first round of signing in 2027 and 2029 and weishao’s upcoming contract on the negotiation table, the deal can be reached.
The current strength of Pacers is unlikely to beat the top Eastern teams and do not have the ability to compete for the championship. It is meaningful to supplement the asset reserve and prepare for Halliburton to hit the championship after reaching the peak period. The playing time released after Hilder and Turner left may accelerate the growth of young players, such as masserin, neismith and Isaiah Jackson.
For the Lakers, assuming Davis can keep healthy (of course, this is very risky), Hilde and Davis will be the perfect complement to the Lakers who own Davis and James. These two are not stars, and the Lakers who own James and Davis do not lack the influence of stars. The Lakers can win a championship by relying on a group of players around James and Davis who can defend, shoot and are willing to accept the assigned roles of the team.
Both Turner and Hilde can open the field space. Hilde’s ability in this field has always been ranked first in history, and his career average three points ranked second in history. Of course, Turner is also one of the best cap players in the league, and after joining, he can let Davis play number four (at least in the starting lineup), this is exactly where Davis started when the Lakers won the championship in the 2019-20 season.
Indeed, Soha is very risky. Eric Pincus, a reporter from the bleachers, believes that if Davis is injured again, it may mean that the Lakers end the season ahead of schedule. If this happens after sending out two first-round signatures, then the Lakers management will regret it very much.
But the 38-year-old James still maintained the best team level. Last summer, he signed an extension contract and made a commitment to the team. However, the chance of winning the championship in front of James now is not great, and the Lakers need to repay his renewal.
The lineup has been significantly upgraded.
Lakers get: Boran-Bogda Norwich, Alec-Burks, norence-Noel
Piston received: unprotected first round sign in 2027, second round sign in 2023, Max Christie, Russell-Westbrook (expected to be bought out)
Greg Swartz: since November 13, the Lakers have a total record of 17-12, only 1.5 wins from the Western playoff range. Davis and James have performed very well this season, and the Lakers seem to be not much worse than entering the playoffs. Considering the limited trading assets in the hands of the Lakers, it is impossible to exchange another all-star player. However, the Lakers must at least explore some ways to upgrade the lineup before the trade deadline to give James a chance to compete for his fifth championship.
Boyang is very suitable for this Lakers. The Lakers should talk to the piston. Burks and Noelle have proved that they are veterans with rich skills, which can make the Lakers defend better and have a deeper lineup. Forward Boyang has experienced the test of the playoffs and can fight hard. According to the statistics of NBA official website, Boyang’s hit rate of three points in receive the ball this season is as high as 45.9%, and he can get 21 points in the game. Burks’s field goal percentage this season is also extremely high, with an overall three-point hit rate of 43.8 percent of his career’s new high, with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2.1 assists on the bench. Noel is an all-round defender and talented basket guard, which can improve the depth of the lineup behind the Lakers Davis in the front court.
After the deal, the starting lineup of the Lakers can be Schroeder, Beverly, James, Davis and Boyan. There are Lonnie Walker, Burks, Reeves, Thomas Bryant and Noelle on the bench. The lineup of the Lakers suddenly became very interesting. At the same time, they also had the first round of 2029, which could be used as future deals. This deal can also help the Lakers reduce their spending by 9.2 million dollars this season. Next season, the team options of Burks and Nowell will also increase the flexibility of the Lakers in salary space.
Squad minor repair minor supplement
Lakers get: Josh Richardson
Spurs: Patrick Beverly, 2023 round sign (from Lakers or Bulls)
Dan Favale: The Lakers general manager Pelinka said in an interview at the end of the season last spring that he would become the guardian of James’s glory. As a result, he did not have much willingness to improve the strength of the Lakers. James is 38 years old. Now the Lakers have just finished a five-game winning streak and are preparing for Davis’s return, but in fact, the Lakers still have more than one deal to compete for the championship. Therefore, no matter in the short term or in the long term, the first round of deals in 2027 and 2029 is meaningless. These picks should be reserved to trade stars, and this kind of market does not exist for the time being.
Having said that, it is not appropriate for the Lakers to do nothing. As long as James can beat you, he must do something, and he cannot use the results caused by the failure of management as an excuse, to avoid pursuing the upgrade of the lineup.
Finding some real flank players in the market, or any player over 1.93 meters tall, is something the Lakers can consider. Although flanking players are usually not cheap, the price for Richardson in Spurs should not be high. He is in the last year of the contract period and is not worth the first round signing. Richardson has multi-position defensive ability and can provide more offensive firepower than other role players on the offensive side.
There was no round signing in this year’s draft convention Spurs, which made the Lakers’s round signing have unique value, and there was no long-term contract in the Spurs. Basically, Spurs only paid an extra salary of 1.4 million dollars and got a round sign with a high potential ranking. Maybe the Lakers are not willing to send out the second round sign with a potential order of 39, but they still have the Bull’s second round sign in their hands. However, Jenny buss cares about saving money. In exchange for Richardson, Beverly can save nearly 6 million dollars in total, including over 4.5 million dollars in tax and nearly 1.4 million dollars in player salary.
Do nothing
Grant Hughes: the prime time for James’s remaining career may be these months, but the Lakers should not give up any important assets at the current time, although it is very difficult to say so.
First of all, it seems that no deal can raise the Lakers to a sufficient height to prove that the assets abandoned for this purpose are worth it. Even though Davis returned completely, James maintained his recent outstanding level. The Lakers’ distance to the championship was not just as simple as Turner and Hilde. This team needs more than switch position upgrades, solid flanking players, and more projection and organization capabilities. The long-discussed pedestrian transaction may be a dead end anyway, and there is no similar transaction scheme more suitable at present. A few years ago, the league’s decision to lower the lottery draw probability and the relatively average strength of the unusual teams this season led us to see a relatively bleak buyer’s market in recent times.
The best choice for the Lakers is to wait until the contract expires and leave, and then sign Carey Owen during the offseason, hoping that more players who can bring changes will enter the free agent market.
Original: Bleacher Report NBA Staff
Compile: Li Taibai
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