The Lakers won 3 in a row, 27-25, ranked 9th in the West, James wanted the Lakers to trade to improve their strength, but the Lakers were indifferent, and the Lakers' inaction also made Zhan Huang dissatisfied, he may jump out of the contract this summer and continue to stay with the Lakers or join other teams as a free agent, the Lakers have little time to think about they may lose James, the Lakers' reluctance to make a trade also makes Zhan Huang dissatisfied, and the old Zhan will force the Lakers to make a trade.
Russell was removed from the starting spot after a poor start to the season, and only returned to the starting line in '24, Russell has performed well, averaging 22 points per game in the last 10 games8 assists on 4-of-1 shooting1 three-pointer with a three-point shooting percentage of 451%, which is the first in the Lakers team during the same period.
Russell took a two-year, $37 million pay cut last summer to stay with the Lakers, and he also gave up his trade veto, and Russell is now the most valuable asset the Lakers can trade. But even if Russell performs well, his trade value is not high, and the Lakers' most valuable trade asset right now is Reaves + 29 first-rounder.
The Lakers have a variety of trade options around Russell, they are willing to replace the Hawks' Murray with Russell + Hachimura + first-rounder, this is the deal that the Lakers want to complete the most, and the Lakers also want to get Smith of the Nets, Brown of the Raptors, Grant of the Trail Blazers and other wing players, all of which are carried out with Russell as the core bargaining chip**.
Reaves is not for sale for the Lakers, the Lakers believe that Reaves still has a lot of potential in the future and are unwilling to him, and Reaves is the Lakers' most valuable asset, and the Lakers' reluctance to sell Reaves also makes it difficult for the Lakers to make a deal.
Vanderbilt's season reimbursement has led to a weak interior line for the Lakers, and the Lakers also need a replacement for Vanderbilt, and it is imperative for the Lakers to strengthen the interior line.
The reason the Lakers are reluctant to make a trade or not trade the first round pick is that the Lakers internally believe they have a chance to get Mitchell this summer, who is 282 points 54 rebounds 64 assists 19 steals and 35 three-point shooting4% could be the Lakers' Big Three, and the Lakers believe it's best not to trade right now. But even if Mitchell can be traded, the Lakers' current chips won't be able to impress the Cavaliers.
James has a 51.4 million player option this summer, and he can jump out of his contract and sign with the team for another three yearsA contract of 6.4 billion can also be free for 3 years1$57.4 billion to join other teams, which would cost James $6.6 million.
Of course, James can also exercise the 51.4 million player option, and then renew his contract with the Lakers after August 19 this year, and he can get up to 2 years and 11.2 billion contracts.
James has a variety of options that also make his future with the Lakers confusing, from a competitive point of view, James staying with the Lakers is not a good choice, he goes to the Knicks, and the Thunder will have a greater chance of winning the championship.
It is James who has the player option in hand and is also putting pressure on the Lakers, and if the Lakers do not make a trade and do not strengthen the team, they may face the risk of losing James, so the Lakers can only be forced to make a trade.
Now is the time for Lao Zhan and the Lakers to play, the Lakers do not meet Lao Zhan's requirements, Lao Zhan jumped out of the contract and left this summer, so that the Lakers Infirmary, if the Lakers meet Lao Zhan's requirements, Lao Zhan will smoothly renew his contract with the Lakers.
The biggest advantage of the Lakers in keeping Lao Zhan is that they can give James an extra $6.6 million, but $6.6 million is not worth mentioning compared to the championship, and Lao Zhan has given the Lakers a chance to see how the Lakers choose.
From James' point of view, he is still willing to stay with the Lakers, and he has previously expressed the idea of retiring with the Lakers, but this must be based on the Lakers can help him win the championship.
Now is the time for the Lakers to play with Lao Zhan, and the Lakers are in a weak position and can only make a trade to meet Lao Zhan's requirements.
Lao Zhan jumped out of the contract and signed with other teams is an unacceptable result for the Lakers, even if Lao Zhan signs first and then changes to the Lakers, he will not get an equivalent return.
Of course, the Lakers also have no idea of trading James, and James' agent Rich Paul also said that James did not apply for a trade on his own.
The Lakers will be very active before the trade deadline, and the Lakers are also involved with DeRozan, Drummond, O'Neal of the Nets, etc., and the Lakers may compromise under strong pressure from Lao Zhan.
What the Lakers want most is Murray, he and Lao Zhan, thick eyebrows can be seamlessly connected, and Murray's agent is also Rich Paul, which will promote the trade between the Hawks and the Lakers.
Under the strong pressure of Lao Zhan, the Lakers can only take over, the Lakers made a trade at this time last season to get Vanderbilt, Hachimura, Russell and others have greatly improved their performance and finally reached the Western Conference semifinals, the Lakers will do the same this season, the Lakers are also ready to fly now, they can't let Lao Zhan leave this summer, in order to meet Lao Zhan's requirements to improve the strength of the team, the Lakers can only make a trade.
If nothing else, James will complete the feat of scoring 40,000+ points this season, and he also hopes to retire with the Lakers, but only if the Lakers are competitive, James hopes that the Lakers will go all out before the trade deadline, and the Lakers will also take out the 29-year first round to get players who can help the team, Lao Zhan once again pressured the Lakers to make a compromise, he is the best master behind the Lakers, Lao Zhan needs a championship, he doesn't care whether he will overdraft the future of the Lakers, And the Lakers can only do it, they are really afraid that James will leave for free. Fans, what do you think about this? Leave me a review**.