According to Sam Amick, the Lakers expressed interest in trading Westbrook early in the season, but they behaved very secretly. Since Westbrook joined the Lakers this season, it has averaged 19.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game, although the average data per game is still exploding, and it is considered to be the top in the point guard position, but the Lakers management is not satisfied with the team's record and Westbrook's field influence, and the Lakers believe that Westbrook's joining is not as good as expected. But because of Westbrook's huge contract, it is difficult for the team to send Westbrook away before February, and it is clear that The incompatibility between Westbrook and the team has become a big problem for the Lakers this season.
Last offseason, the Lakers' third-big man was not Westbrook. Simmons of Philadelphia, Lillard of the Trail Blazers, Bill of the Wizards, etc. have all had scandals with the Lakers, but the closest is DeRozan, who is now playing well with the Bulls. As a Los Angeles native, playing for his hometown team is DeRozan's long-term desire, and many media and reports in the offseason also believe that DeRozan has a high probability of joining the Lakers, but after killing a journey halfway to bite the gold, Wei Shao quickly joined the Lakers, DeRozan turned his head and went to the Bulls. Looking at the bulls in the East now, such as the bulls in the sky and the impeccable personal performance of DeRozan, I wonder if the Lakers management will regret it. But the wood has become a boat, and what the Lakers need now is a big deal to send Wei Shao away.
At present, there are not many options in the league that can match Westbrook's contract, and the trading market is comparable to Westbrook, the Rockets' Wall, Simmons and the Cavaliers' Love. But all three players have their own problems and don't help the Lakers out of trouble.
Wall has proven himself to be a weakened version of Westbrook, and Harden understands this. Coupled with the fact that Wall was hidden by the Rockets this season, the state of the game is still unknown, and trading to the Lakers cannot save the disaster. Simmons can greatly improve the team on the defensive end, but the chips people want are Lillard or Bill, and Westbrook is not in the eyes of others. James' old comrade-in-arms Love is not a defensive player, joining the Lakers to get Love, how to play Love's offensive firepower to make up for weak defense will be a problem that Vogel is likely to be unable to solve.
That being the case, the Lakers can only try to use Westbrook to change role players and draft picks to be more practical, such as Walker + Fournier for the New York Knicks, and the Lakers are doing the same. According to the famous Windhorst, the Lakers currently have a trading idea for Jordan Jr. and Bazemore, and the purpose of the transaction is to free up the quota. Coupled with the fact that the previous trade has gone long, the Lakers are cleaning up redundant players and regularizing those valuable temporary contract workers, such as Bradley and S-Johnson, and the vacated places can also accommodate the surplus of personnel in the follow-up trade in Westbrook, and the Lakers know that if they do not seek change, this season is doomed to be in vain.
However, the Lakers still have good news, one is that James plays the fifth position to pull out the group, the second is to provide new tactical options for the Lakers; the second is that Davis will usher in a comeback in the near future, and the core of the team's interior has finally returned. Although the Lakers have won the past two games, the opponents are the Timberwolves and the Kings, and the game process is more difficult, and the Lakers' dominance is not stable. The next schedule for the Lakers is extremely difficult, only in January need to face the Nets, Grizzlies, Jazz and other strong teams, called soft persimmons only against the Magic. For Westbrook, the Lakers will stop twisting, let go of the trading chips, show the sincerity of cooperation, and may not be able to say which team will pull the Lakers.