Waking up, Rondo became the Lakers' first to be traded.
On December 31, Beijing time, according to ESPN reporter Wenalowski, the Cavaliers are close to reaching a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, and they will exchange veteran point guard Lajan Rondo.
The deal will reportedly close as soon as tomorrow, while Rondo will join the Cavaliers as soon as the health and safety agreement is lifted.
The deal is easy to understand, the Lakers are preparing for the lineup adjustment, and the Cavaliers are urgently filling the gap in the guard line. Since Rondo signed a one-year veteran base salary contract, there was no need to match the salary to make a deal, and the Cavaliers needed to cut a player to make room for Rondo.
For the Knights, trading Rondo is naturally for immediate combat. The Cavaliers have just suffered an injury blow, and Rubio Rubio, a veteran who has found his youth in Cleveland this season, has torn his cruciate ligament this season, coupled with the previous injury to Sexton, the Cavaliers' point guard is only Garland.
The Cavaliers' three-high lineup doesn't have a seasoned point guard to press the line, and coupled with the Cavaliers' current 20-14 ranking fifth in the East, they obviously don't want the performance so far this season to be wasted, so they take a fancy to Rondo.
For Rubio, the injury was somewhat tragic. In 2012, Rubio suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and this time it was in the same position.
From the Jazz to the Suns to the Timberwolves and Thunder, Rubio has changed teams for 5 years, and before coming to the Cavaliers, it was reported that he was tired of the game and wanted to return to Europe.
But after coming to the Knight, he found his belonging here. Before injury this season, Rubio played in 34 games, averaging 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and scored a career-high.
He also played the strongest game of his career at Madison Garden This season, when Rubio scored 37 points and 10 assists on 8-of-9 three-pointers, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 30+ points, 10+ assists and 8+ three-pointers in a game.
But more important than the stats is Rubio's presence on the pitch.
Statistics show that Rubio's team in the field can net outperform the opponent by 9.1 points per 100 rounds, and another defender, Garland, can net outplay the opponent by 10.7 points per 100 rounds. In the time period when the two are paired, the Cavaliers can beat their opponents by 16.1 points per 100 rounds, which is the most influential backcourt combination this season.
It was supposed to be a story of a veteran who had regained himself, but injuries brought everything to an abrupt end. In order not to waste the good situation, the Cavaliers chose the 35-year-old Rondo to contend.
For the Lakers, Rondo is more like a "press spokesman" + "assistant coach" in the team, but not like a player.
Falling out of rotation is an indisputable fact, Rondo has played only 18 games this season, has not started a single game, averaged only 3.1 points and 3.7 assists in just 16.1 minutes per game, dropped to a career-low shooting rate of 32.4%, and shot 26.7% from three-point range.
At the beginning of the season, Vogel used Rondo quite often. But since mid-November, Rondo has had little time to play. From Nov. 24 to Dec. 16, the Lakers played a total of 11 games, and Rondo played only one game, playing 8.8 minutes. As a result, Rondo became the front row audience of the Lakers.
In a game that was more impressive, the Lakers sent a three-backcourt lineup of Westbrook + Rondo + Thomas Jr., and when they saw these three standing on the court, it is estimated that the fans will unconsciously frown.
So far this season, Rondo has scored 55 points, 49 rebounds and 67 assists. Coincidentally, Rondo also played 18 games with the Clippers last season, more than double the numbers they have now.
In an environment like the Lakers, Rondo's performance didn't even cause fans to question too much, after all, the cauldron was distributed to Wei Shao's thick eyebrows, and Rondo was not even in the scope of discussion. As you can imagine, Rondo's presence in the team.
At present, Rondo is in quarantine because of the triggering of the health and safety agreement, so the Lakers and The Knights have reached a consensus.
After sending Rondo away, the Lakers didn't need to eat any contracts, which also freed up a quota, saved $7 million in luxury taxes, and got a $1.7 million deal exception.
The $1.7 million trade exception is a metaphor for the Lakers: No matter how small the fly meat is, it is better than nothing.
The vacated spot for the Lakers may be converted to Stanley Johnson. Stanley Johnson previously signed a 10-day short contract with the Lakers, helping the Lakers play 3 games, one of which was a starter.
Stanley Johnson was a Lakers leak, originally signed a 10-day contract with the Bulls, but when he joined the team, he happened to trigger a health and safety agreement, so he did not play a game for the Bulls, and then was signed by the Lakers. Interestingly, as soon as the news of the Lakers signing Stanley Johnson came out, it rushed to the Twitter NBA hot search.
In the three games for the Lakers, Stanley Johnson was also reused, averaging 27.3 minutes per game, 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1 assist, shooting 47.1% from the field.
As a temporary worker, it is indeed very difficult to plug and play on a team like the Lakers. Sized, not making mistakes, not taking the ball, fighting aggressively, daring to fight, Stanley Johnson is a typical sapper type player suitable for playing next to superstars.
So, Long's guidance seems to have changed the air, saving the Lakers $7 million in luxury taxes. But is the Lakers missing the $7 million? Definitely not. They are short of players who can fight hard battles, so this should be just the beginning of the Lakers trade.
According to John Hollinger, a well-known reporter for "The Athletic", the Lakers are now targeting defenders who can play without the ball.
The Lakers are looking for some guards who can play without the ball, such as Norman Powell of the Portland Trail Blazers, Derrick White of the San Antonio Spurs, and Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics. However, they may need to look a little lower. ”
Hollinger said he thinks tucker + Nunn + 27 years in the first round could return the Lakers to a guard with an annual salary of around $15-20 million.
Not long ago, the famous Venhorst gave another plan: "There are rumors that the Lakers are interested in Pistons forward Grant, and I think the Pistons are rebuilding, so at least this season Grant will not go anywhere." But I also think the Pistons will probably listen to quotes from all sides. ”
"So, if you can get a player like Grant, what are you willing to pay? The Lakers may need to give Tucker, perhaps add a 27-year first-round pick, plus Nunn. If you were The Lakers management, would you be willing to pay such a price to get Grant back? But he does bring more help to the team. ”
The first thing to note is that most of these sets of trading schemes are suggestions from journalists in the circle, which does not mean that the Lakers will be able to achieve them. After all, there are some things that lakers are willing to come out, but the other party may not be willing to receive ah.
However, it can be agreed that the reporters in the circle have basically identified the players who have the possibility of a trade with the Lakers, that is, Tucker Jr. + Nunn + 27 years of first-round signing.
What deals the Lakers will eventually have, they can only wait for Pelinka's operation. After all, rumors are flying around, but not many can really be realized.
Just like some time ago, Ci Shiping made a guest appearance on the Spectrum show and Interview James. The host quipped that Ci Shiping was ready to join the Lakers on a 10-day short contract.
James replied, "Metta World Peace, get ready, because we may need your help." ”
As for whether the Lakers have a chance to trade Wei Shao, it is better to wait for him to lose a few layups.