The Lakers' current record is not ideal, 14-13, with a winning percentage of just over 50%, and the team is sixth in the West, just one step away from falling into the play-off zone. Playing more than 1/4 of the season, the team that was considered a favorite for the title at the beginning of the season has played a surprising performance, even more than the Nets in the East. Obviously, if the team wants to change the current predicament, in addition to making trade reinforcements, it is difficult to achieve a qualitative leap through internal adjustments. Although the Big Three are not considered to have run into the best state, James, Thick Brow and Westbrook are one of the top stars in the league, and they have made adjustments and sacrifices accordingly in the game, but they still failed to help the team reach the ideal state, to a certain extent, it also shows that the Lakers' lineup configuration is indeed a problem.
Before the trade deadline, what kind of trading choices should the Lakers make to help the team get on the right track? How can they, in their limited leverage, target those who can actually help the team? Perhaps a news from the Pistons in recent days will be a perfect opportunity for the Lakers to take advantage of the fire.
The latest official Announcement of the Pistons is that star Grant suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb and will miss out for 6 weeks. Journalist James Edwards revealed that if Grant chooses surgery, he is expected to be traded in January or February.
Grant can average 20.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season, although the state has declined compared to last season, but his performance on the court is still one of the best 3D fronts in the league, and the value of Grant's trade in the recovery period will be a certain decline compared to when healthy, which will be a good bottoming opportunity for the Lakers. If the Pistons management can be impressed at the right time, the introduction of Grant can obviously help the Lakers' lineup to further improve, or even undergo a qualitative change.
Grant can be another stable scoring point on the Lakers' court, and can also play a frontal gate on the defensive end to improve the team's defense. More importantly, Grant can play the No. 3 and No. 4 positions, which can well share the pressure of James and thick eyebrows, and with Grant, putting the thick eyebrows on the No. 5 position, the Lakers' starting lineup will become more threatening at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends.
For the Pistons, the team is currently in a rebuilding period, except for cunningham, other players can be traded, so once the Lakers can provide chips to the satisfaction of the Pistons, the introduction of Grant is not impossible. In the Lakers, Horton Tucker is the most valuable young chip, and with some future draft picks, such a trading subject still has a certain attraction. If Pelinka can convince the Pistons management, there is no doubt that the Lakers will form a real big 4 combination, and the impact on the championship will be more certain.