As a title favorite at the beginning of the season, the Lakers are getting farther and farther away from the goal of the championship this season after betting on the third giant Wei Shao.
Faced with the unfavorable situation, Westbrook publicly said that the team did not work hard enough, Howard also agreed with such a statement, and James publicly apologized through social media, while promising fans that the team would get better.
Lakers management is more direct, has sent Rondo away, and rumors are weighing the value of the deal between Jordan Jr., Bazemore and Howard.
In response to the current situation of the Lakers, sharp gave a sharp evaluation, thinking that the 37-point defeat to the Nuggets was a good thing.
This big defeat will make the Lakers recognize the current situation, no longer talk about injuries, run-ins and age, can fully focus on the action of the trading market, and Pelinka can also let go of the psychological burden and let go of the lineup adjustment.
To this end, the US media "nbaanalysis" also quickly supported the Lakers, can try to complete the 4-for-1 transaction plan, Gordon chi to James, the Rockets won 2 new stars + 2 rounds.
Potential trading scenarios
Lakers: Get Gordon;
Rockets: Get Horton Tucker + Nunn + 2023 second round pick + 2025 second round pick.
Combined with the circumstances of the two teams, this is a deal that fully meets the goals of both teams for this season, and there is every hope of a win-win outcome.
For the Lakers, the team is currently on the verge of collapse, and the team needs to complete the lineup adjustment as soon as possible and increase more immediate combat strength to tide over the difficulties.
Because the Contract of Westbrook is very large, unless it is traded through multiple parties, Lake talents may send away Westbrook, and the plan is destined to be very harsh.
In addition, if the Lakers want to make a big deal, then they will inevitably send away Horton Tucker and Nunn, and the two are also one of the few high-quality chips in the hands of the Lakers.
There are rumors that the Lakers want to build a trading plan around the two and pursue Grant or Turner, but according to the degree of popularity of the two, the Lakers are simply unable to compete with other potential competitors unless they take the first round of signing.
In contrast, Gordon is carrying a relatively unfriendly contract, and the contract is longer, which to a certain extent affects the scope of his next choice, and the Lakers can rely on this to appropriately reduce the price to complete the bottom.
From the perspective of improving immediate combat strength, Gordon is almost the perfect reinforcement target for the Lakers, which perfectly meets the needs of the Lakers.
First of all, Gordon is a top outside three-pointer, averaging 5.3 three-pointers per game this season, with an exaggerated 45.5% shooting rate, which means that he can play without the ball next to James and the thick eyebrows to complete the outside line.
In addition, Gordon is also a defender with the ability to break through the ball in positional warfare, which can just fill the Lakers' shortcomings in this regard, and more importantly, Westbrook's defensive ability is completely trustworthy, destined to be reused by Vogel, coupled with rich playoff experience, for any championship team, Gordon is the perfect reinforcement choice.
For the Rockets, although they did not get a first-round pick in the trade, the 4 chips they got were all conducive to the team's rebuilding.
Especially Horton Tucker, a young player, although he has not performed well in the Lakers this season, but with reference to Kuzma, Randall, Ball and other Lakers veterans, most of the young players who have left the Lakers will often deliver better performances.
Horton Tucker has a certain talent of a top two-way player, the age also meets the Rockets' rebuilding blueprint, as for Nunn's player, the Rockets are exchanging time for value, as long as they wait until Nunn recovers health, the Rockets give him enough opportunities, Nunn's value is destined to rise, the Rockets can clean him up again, in exchange for more chips conducive to reconstruction.