Since the day Westbrook was traded to the Lakers, he has often heard all kinds of doubts, especially after seeing Kuzma, Pop, and Harrell ushering in the second spring of his career, Lakers general manager Pelinka was once pushed to the forefront of public opinion. In the eyes of the outside world, Pelinka should not risk trading Wei Shao, there is a huge hidden danger behind this move, and the reason why the Lakers' defensive efficiency this season has been ranked at the bottom of the league for a long time has a lot to do with the addition of Wei Shao. As we all know, as a traditional NBA giant, the Lakers management has always advocated simplicity and rudeness when solving problems, unwilling to drag mud and water, change coaches when there are problems in the locker room/record, and trade players if there is a problem in the lineup.
Presumably Wei Shao can also have some psychological preparation before joining the Lakers, this purple and gold shirt on the body will carry a steady stream of pressure, once he fails to play the performance expected by the outside world, then it is normal to be involved in trading rumors, but what many people did not expect is that this day actually came so early. Sources come from BR reporter Jake Fisher, because the "Zhan Mei Gui" combination did not meet the expectations of the team management, the Lakers had an in-depth discussion on how to trade Westbrook, Westbrook trade Lefu + Rubio is a potential option, but various indications show that the Cavaliers management undoubtedly disrupted the team's existing rhythm, even if the transaction will not involve the core players.
From the follow-up report of foreign media The Athletic, it is known that the Lakers have tried to trade Simmons + Tiantou with Westbrook, but the 76ers management is not interested in this plan, only Harden, Lillard this level of stars poured into the trading market, 76 people are willing to put Simmons on the shelf. It should be mentioned that on the issue of Simmons' retention, the 76ers management does not have absolute initiative in their hands, and the well-known agent Rich Paul has been actively operating behind the scenes, trying his best to promote Simmons to join the Lakers, all in all, although the opportunity is not very large, Simmons is expected to assist James (James and Thick Eyebrows) in the future. Looking at the trade rumors of Westbrook from the perspective of fans, I believe that many people's initial idea is that Simmons is a perfect match for Zhan Mei, a potential new star who can solve the Lakers' current defensive problems.
But if you think about it, the collapse of the Lakers' defensive system this season is not caused by a player, and Simmons may be able to alleviate some defensive pressure, but it is unlikely to solve the problem completely. The most critical thing is that Simmons has no outside projection technology at all, although Wei Shao's three points are not very stable, but at least he can enter ah, I don't believe that Simmons can practice three points in a short period of time, if he can, he has already practiced it, why wait until now. Let's talk about Pelinka, as the leader of the Lakers management, in addition to the boss Jenny Bass, Pelinka enjoys a very high right to speak. Putting aside the technical characteristics of the players, Pelinka, if sober, would not allow Rich Paul to run Simmons for the simple reason that he would keep his job.
You know, it is particularly difficult for Pelinka to sit in today's position, and he was almost out of the game in the turmoil of the Lakers' management. At that time, if it were not for the impulsiveness of the magician, it was most likely Wharton and Pelinka who would eventually leave. After Pelinka took power, Rich Paul helped him a lot, not only Simmons's agent, but also James, Thick Eyebrows, Dream, Trae Young and other stars belonged to his company. But help back to help, Pelinka definitely does not want to see the Lakers lineup is all Rich Paul people, referring to the (former Cavaliers general manager) David Griffin's previous lessons, Pelinka does not want to be put in the air.
According to NBA reporter Brad Turner, in the face of the upcoming player trading market, Pelinka does not intend to follow Rich Paul's plan this time, he has his own reinforcement ideas, and does not want to become a general manager with puppet attributes. Sources show that Pelinka is more concerned about the dynamics of Jeramie Grant ($19.05 million) and Harrison Barnes ($18.97 million) than the unreliable scheme of trading Simmons with Westbrook, and he has prepared two sets of trading options and is working hard to move forward. It is reported that the core chips of the two sets of plans are similar, Tucker + Nunn + 1 first-round pick + several second-round picks, and now the only variable is how much the draft picks need to lose, which depends on Pelinka's personal bargaining ability. Do you think the Lakers will trade Wei Shao? Welcome to leave a comment in the comments section below to discuss, thank you for reading and following.