The lakers in a state of flux will either play a winning streak or have a losing streak, but the 37-year-old James is always the one who performs best, has the best data and the strongest desire to win, and in stark contrast to him is the core of the backcourt Westbrook. The choice of Westbrook as the team's third superstar has been controversial, and although James is willing to give up the core position in the backcourt for the superstar who can easily win the triple-double, Westbrook has proved the Lakers' choice wrong with performance. In this way, the Lakers were forced to look for opportunities in the trading market, and combined with the rumors of many days, the Lakers basically locked in three reinforcement targets, and the scope of reinforcements was further narrowed.
The first was Simmons, who couldn't play at the 76ers. As we all know, the 76ers have been waiting for a superstar who can match Simmons to join the trade plan, and Embiid also hopes that the replacement of Simmons will be a good support for him in the championship. Unfortunately, the 76ers' expectations are too high, at least for now, no team is willing to come up with a matching chip. On the contrary, the Lakers are now very willing to take out Westbrook as a trading chip, and at the same time, the Lakers may be more aggressive to add a 2027 first-round draft pick, such a plan is enough to return the 76ers to the negotiating table.
For the Lakers, Simmons' comprehensiveness and strength are above Westbrook, and Simmons' model is actually a weakened version of James, and if necessary, it can still replace James for some internal work. Coincidentally, Simmons and Westbrook are players with poor projection ability, and the Lakers must be mentally prepared for the existence of such players. If Westbrook is traded to the 76ers, there should be no objection, and the ball is still in his hands. It's just that the 76ers need to think carefully, at least now there is a turnaround, the Lakers are sincere, the time left for the 76ers is not much, and the blockbuster transaction should be at any time.
The second is Grant, a striker with stronger projection skills. He's in a Pistons team that needs to be completely rebuilt, and the Lakers like the deal with the broken team very much, because the price will certainly not be too much. It's just that Grant's contract salary has become the biggest obstacle, and with his ability, pursuing a top-salary contract is not too much at all. Since the Lakers will certainly not give Westbrook to the Pistons, what can satisfy the Pistons should be the 2027 first-round draft pick. So, the Lakers have to consider whether they have the ability to pay Grant a maximum salary after this season.
Therefore, before introducing Grant, the Lakers still have to do a lot of planning work. But if Grant successfully joins, the strength of the front line will inevitably increase significantly. In addition, such a high-quality forward player may not necessarily be the Lakers, and there are many teams willing to give him the core position, it seems that it is time for James to play his personal charm. The third is Kings top scorer Hield, who can be traded. The three-point shooter, who can match Curry, is actually very suitable for the Lakers' offensive system, and Westbrook's assist object is one more person.
To be sure, Hield is ready to go, the Kings need to rebuild, and everyone can be traded, and Core Fox is no exception. It is expected that the cost of the Lakers to introduce him will be relatively low, but this choice is actually optional compared to Simmons and Grant. But if the first two can't join, bringing in Hield is also a good choice. Overall, choosing Simmons is more conducive to James' championship this season, which means that as long as Westbrook leaves the team, the Lakers have hope, and other trade solutions are floating clouds.