Recently, ESPN based on the NBA team's high-level data on the prospects of this season's championship, last year's offseason reorganization of the Lakers has officially fallen out of the championship ranks, in espnon eyes, the western traditional giants this season the probability of qualifying for the playoffs is 40%, and the probability of finally winning the championship is less than 1%. In fact, it is really not strange that foreign media are not optimistic about the Lakers, compared with the Jazz, Warriors, Suns, Heat, Bucks, Nets and other popular teams, the Lakers championship competitiveness is obviously insufficient, you know, in the first half of the schedule is relatively easy, the Lakers can not get rid of the play-off range for a long time, currently only with a record of 23 wins and 23 losses in the West ranked seventh. Chips keep upgrading! Exposed the Lakers to complete a 4-for-2 deal conversation, Vogel and Thick Brow had participated in the discussion.
According to NBA reporter Chris Mannix, although there is no intention of blaming the players, in the past few days, the discussion within the Lakers about the deal with Westbrook has never stopped. In order to avoid repeating the same mistakes, Lakers general manager Pelinka invited the current head coach Vogel to participate in the discussion, and in the process of exchange, Pelinka also asked for the opinion of thick eyebrows, hoping to discuss the best plan for trading Wei Shao from the perspective of the player. It is reported that the Lakers' potential trading partners are not much different from the previous reports of NBA reporter Marc Stein, and at this stage, only the Rockets in the NBA Alliance are willing to try to take over Wei Shao, that is to say, if they want to send away Wei Shao, the Lakers can only seek a way on the Rockets.
According to follow-up reports from the Los Angeles media, the Lakers have recently arranged scouts to watch John Wall's daily training, the rocket's first highest salary ($43.85 million), but because of the verbal agreement between the two sides, Wall has not represented the Rockets this season. According to the data, Wall averaged 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game last season, shooting 31.7% from three-point range. According to the feedback provided by the scouts, Wall's physical condition is not ideal, resulting in the Lakers management led by Pelinka can basically conclude in advance that Westbrook + the first round of signing Wall is unlikely to solve the team's existing problems. At this point, Vogel suggests to Pelinka that if Eric Gordon can be the head of the trade, the outcome may change.
According to sources, in the process of playing with the Rockets, in order to be able to get Gordon, the Lakers have continuously increased the number of yards, 2 for 1 gradually evolved into 4 for 2, the specific negotiation chips between the two sides are, the Lakers are trying to use Westbrook + Tucker + Jordan Jr. + the first round of 2027 to get Wall + Gordon from the Rockets. Some fans may ask, the Lakers should not easily give up the 2027 first round pick, because this sign is most likely to be a lotto, can also be understood as: high-quality first round pick. But what we need to know is that, referring to the actual situation of the two teams, if the Lakers do not hand over this first-round pick, the Rockets will not even have the willingness to negotiate. The Lakers certainly know that the 2027 first-round pick is important, and Pelinka wants to swap it out for a number of second-round picks, but the point is that the Rockets won't agree.
The only variable now is whether Pelinka can convince the Rockets to protect the 2027 first-round pick, and this also needs to look at the Face of the Rockets, after all, it is the Lakers who are in a hurry now, and the Rockets have plenty of time to listen to other teams' offers. Finally, talk about thick eyebrows, there are sources that show that in the Lakers' internal discussions on the Westbrook deal, thick eyebrows are very much looking forward to being able to cooperate with Gordon again in the future, the two are not only familiar with each other's playing style, Gordon, who has a stable three-point projection, can also let thick eyebrows return to the No. 4 position, which directly enriches the Lakers' tactical system, James has also been effectively protected, and the Lakers do not have to risk using the five small. Meanwhile, Vogel, a defensive coach, can finally sacrifice his long-cherished twin-tower lineup.
It is worth mentioning that the thick eyebrows of the Pelican period were once closely related to Gordon, and the combination of internal and external lines was once highly expected by the outside world, if the thick eyebrows were allowed to make a choice between the old teammates and Wei Shao, then the latter's chances of winning were not great. In addition, since the knee injury on December 18, 2021, Thick Brow has adjusted the shooting action and completed the weight loss with the help of trainers, which is enough to show that Thick Brow is not willing to go to the basket to fight with the tall inside line, he still likes to punish opponents with his flexible steps, and Gordon can just assist Thick Brow. Do you think a 4-for-2 deal can help the Lakers out of trouble? Welcome to leave a comment in the comments section below to discuss, thank you for reading and following.