The Lakers, who played a four-game winning streak in late December and early January, have suffered two straight losses, making discussions about their future the hottest topic in the NBA recently. The offseason in the summer of '21 was a great opportunity for the Lakers to regain their peak, but unfortunately there was a disagreement between all parties in the choice of third star, and finally came to Westbrook in the team may be the worst choice. Halfway through the regular season, the Lakers apparently haven't found a path to success, and the Westbrook plan has basically failed. In such a situation, for a team like the Lakers that wins at the moment, how to strengthen the team through a season-to-season trade has become their most urgent problem. Based on recent reports from various authoritative media, the Lakers' trade reinforcement plan has also unveiled the mystery. Purple and Gold management targeted three players: Simmons, Hield and Grant.
The Lakers had tried to ask Simmons as early as early December, and the Purple and Gold army hoped to return James to the number one spot through the deal. While Simmons hasn't made a debut for the 76ers so far this season, the 76ers top doesn't seem to be in a hurry to handle the All-Star forward's contract. According to the latest report of authoritative NBA reporter Shams, the 76ers' price tag for Simmons has always been an All-Star plus a first-round draft pick, such a high offer scares off teams interested in Simmons such as the Blazers and warriors, but the Lakers' Westbrook and 2027 first-round signing chips are exactly in line with the 76ers' asking price. Sadly, the 76ers don't seem interested in Westbrook, which keeps the deal undis discussed. But with the trading deadline approaching, it's not impossible for 76ers to change their minds.
Jeramie Grant and Simmons are in the Lakers' field of vision at the same time, and Grant, who is also a front, has a stronger shooting ability than Simmons, so most fans are optimistic about the deal. Compared to the 76ers, the Pistons who are determined to be in a bad situation do not require as many chips, and Grant's contract amount is not as high as Simmons. However, the Lakers' difficulty in introducing Grant is not low, first of all, there are many teams in the league that are interested in Grant, and the Lakers' chips are undoubtedly worse among the teams competing for Grant. Second, Grant wants a top-salary contract extension, and the Lakers don't have enough salary space to offer a top-salary contract at the end of the season. If the trade is just used up this season, the cost of paying the first round of 27 years is a bit too much.
The last option is Kings point guard Buddy Hield, whose arrival could undoubtedly enhance the Lakers' three-point shooting ability indefinitely. Hield has been associated with the Lakers many times since he joined the league, but the two sides have never really come together. In the 21-year offseason, Hield was the third option besides Westbrook and DeRozan. For the Lakers, the cost of bringing in Hield's comeback will not be too big, and the top scorer's contract is still decreasing year by year, which is friendly to the team's future planning. However, compared to the first two players, Hield has brought relatively little changes to the team. Hield is the most prominent three-point player this season besides Curry, but he can bring little gain to the team except for three-pointers. Which of the above three players do fans think can save the Lakers this season? Welcome to discuss and communicate in the comments section!