Since the beginning of the season, the Lakers have far outperformed expectations, and although the 37-year-old James is still in the league's top five players, he has missed too many games to help the team early at this stage.
Thick eyebrow brother not only suffered from injury problems, personal offensive and defensive desires fell seriously, outside projection was inaccurate, three-point shooting rate was only a pitiful 19.2%, and the whole person seriously lacked dominance.
New signing Wei Shao's statistics are still outstanding, averaging 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game, but his efficiency and mistakes are huge hidden dangers, shooting only 32.4% from the outside and shooting less than 70% from the free throws.
The poor state of the big three, coupled with the delay in integration, has also led to the Lakers' winning rate hovering around 50%, without the style of the championship team.
Naturally, there were also rumors about the transaction, and even the possibility of internal discussions had begun to be discussed, and the target that the Lakers hoped to get was also exposed, that is, Ben Simmons and Grant.
Based on such rumors, the US media "Fadeawayworld" also gave the Lakers a clever plan, which can get two potential big deals through 3 for 2 + 4 for 1, helping the Lakers to form 4 giants to compete for the championship.
Trading Scenario 1
Lakers: Get Grant;
Pistons: Get a first-round pick from Horton Tucker + Nunn + Rondo + 2027.
Around Grant, the US media gave a 4-for-1 deal plan, believing that Grant will become an important member of the Lakers' rotation system, defending four positions on the defensive end and averaging 20+ points per game on the offensive end.
But from a practical point of view, the deal is not friendly to the Lakers, because Grant only recently suffered from injuries, although it is only a finger injury, but he has to rest for 6 weeks.
At present, the Lakers' record pressure is huge, the team's rotation lineup is insufficient, and it is plagued by injuries, and completing such a deal will only weaken the Lakers' current immediate combat strength and increase the risk of injury between Brother Thick Brow and James.
Moreover, in the transaction, the Lakers sent three instant combat forces in one go, plus a first-round pick, such a chip configuration is completely debatable.
Grant has indeed handed over quasi-All-Star stats over the past two seasons, but he is in a Pistons team with a fish belly team, and the data content is greatly reduced.
Moreover, Grant is not a good defensive player, and the Lakers not only sent away two valuable players Tucker and Nunn, but also hitched a future first-round pick, which is really debatable.
Transaction Scenario 2
Lakers: Get Ben Simmons + Green;
Philadelphia: Got Westbrook + 2026 first round pick + 2025 second round pick.
For the Lakers, this is a deal worth discussing, and Westbrook's playing style and efficiency do not meet the requirements of a championship team.
Although Ben Simmons' offensive ability can not meet the requirements of the Lakers, his arrival as the league's top defender will greatly improve the Lakers' defensive performance.
Especially in the transaction, the Lakers will also replace the old Danny Green, and the addition of the two will help the Lakers re-establish a stable defensive system.
If all goes well, the Lakers can build a lineup of Ben Simmons + Munch + Grant + James + Thick Brow after completing two trades.
The lineup looks like it's both offensive and defensive, but the price tag for grant is too high, Grant has injury problems, and Ben Simmons' offense has problems.
Therefore, even if the two transactions can be successfully completed, the Lakers also need a lot of time to run in and adjust, and the team's anti-risk ability has further declined, and the Lakers should still be cautious.