On January 6, Beijing time, it was reported from NBA celebrity Sam Amick that the Lakers had revealed a "secret interest" in wanting to trade Westbrook earlier in the season. There is a consensus within the Lakers that Westbrook's role is not as good as expected, including James and Thick Brow. It seems that the Lakers have admitted to the failure of the deal in their hearts.
Mingji reported that the Lakers originally used Harrell, Pop and Kuzma as chips to get Wei Shao in a 3-for-1 trade, in order to reduce the pressure on James and Davis. However, it is clear that instead of solving this problem, The Westbrook franchise has caused new problems, such as ball rights. Westbrook himself could not play without the ball, but the efficiency of holding the ball in hand was very low, and this performance did not meet the expectations of James and Davis. It's just that Westbrook's big contract of more than 40 million annual salaries makes his deal unlikely.
This season, Wei Shao and the Lakers have not run well. For the picky Lakers, they actually lost patience with Wei Shao early. Previously, a reporter reported that the Lakers and Philadelphia had negotiated a deal about Ben Simmons, and the chips involved Westbrook. But Philadelphia, like most teams, is reluctant to eat Westbrook's contract. The reporter said that it is extremely impossible to trade Wei Shao before the trading deadline on February 15.
For the Lakers, they are indeed in such an embarrassing situation now, and Westbrook will most likely not leave this season. But if Westbrook doesn't leave, the Lakers don't have the salary space and chips to trade players at another giant level. And if there is no major upgrade to the lineup, it is actually difficult for the Lakers to make a difference this season. It's a dead loop, and the Lakers are also paying for the big bets they make before the start of the season.
Perhaps at this time, Lakers fans will be extremely hopeful to return to the pre-game of last year, DeRozan has almost packed his bags and is ready to run to the Lakers, but he is turned away by the Purple and Gold Team. Today, DeRo is in favor of being the absolute core of the Bulls, and is at no. 5 on the MVP list. Just think, if the Lakers had chosen DeRozan instead of Westbrook, even if DeRozan couldn't play at the current level, at least it wouldn't be worse. But there is no regret medicine in the world, and the Lakers can only eat the consequences themselves.