After the offseason desperate bet on the Big Three, the Lakers did not achieve the desired effect, and Wei Shao, who was carrying a large contract, became an obstacle to the team's key moments to win.
Half a season later, the team is seventh in the West with a record of 21 wins and 21 losses, and this ranking, and the state shown by the team, have clearly not met expectations.
As a result, the Lakers are constantly seeking targets in the trading market and have completed their deals with Rondo, while being exposed to be interested in a number of new signings.
According to Jack Fisher, a reporter for the Open Stand, the Lakers are interested in getting Turner and Grant, with the limited leverage in their hands, except for Horton Tucker and Nunn.
The team has asked potential trading partners to start evaluating the value of jordan jr., Howard and Bazemore's deals.
And according to the famous Shams report, before the Hawks completed the deal with the Knicks, the Lakers also used two second-round picks to quote Reddish.
In addition, according to reporter Michael Scotto, the Lakers have been active in the trading market for some time in the past, and they have conducted multiple rounds of research on potential reinforcement targets.
Among them, Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. is currently interested in the Lakers.
In response to such reports, the US media "Lakeshowlife" quickly gave a 3-for-1 deal plan, the Lakers got Gary Trent Jr. as they wished, and the Raptors took over Little Tucker, and both teams are expected to be happy.
Potential trading scenarios
Lakers: Get Gary Trent Jr.;
Raptors: Get Horton Tucker Jr. + Nunn + 2026 first-round swaps.
For the Lakers, it was a desperate deal option, as Gary Trent Jr.'s contract was more than $16 million and the Lakers had to pack Up Tucker Jr. and Nunn to match the salary.
The two are one of the few high-quality chips in the team's current lineup, and if they send away two in one go, it means that it will be difficult for the follow-up Lakers to create a large-scale transaction plan.
Unless you can find the team to take over the big contract of Wei Shao, or grit your teeth to break the core of the championship battle and send away one of the two.
Although the package sent away the few high-quality chips in their hands and also took a future first-round swap, the Lakers got Gary Trent Jr. as they wished.
Compared to Tucker's instability and Nunn's long absence, Gary Trent Jr. has played in 33 games for the Raptors this season, averaging 34 minutes per game.
He averaged 16.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, and had a 36.8% three-point shooting rate, which is not a small improvement for the Lakers' flanks.
What's more, Gary Trent Jr. is actually only 23 years old, and it didn't lead to a decline in the young talent in the Lakers' lineup because of the completion of the transaction.
However, the contract of Gary Trent Jr. is a problem, he earns more than $16 million and will last for multiple seasons.
This means that the Lakers have to eat an additional $7 million of space, knowing that the offseason team let Go of Caruso in order to save $9 million, and eating $7 million for this deal may exceed the Lakers' plan.
For the Raptors, it was an acceptable deal because Gary Trent Jr. hadn't reached the heights the team expected.
The team could try to replace Tucker, the young player who they had hoped to get Tucker last season, and the deal got them, and Nunn could be the Odds.
What's more, the team can free up about $7 million of space at the end of the season and get a first-round swap, greatly increasing the flexibility of the team to adjust the lineup later.
So, for both teams, it's a plan that promises a happy outcome for both.
However, the Lakers need to accept the luxury tax, and given the team's current difficult situation, they must make concessions in this regard.
For the Raptors, it's a deal worth trying, adding to the flexibility the team needs and getting Tucker, the favorite player.