The Lakers' recent record is not good, and the team urgently needs to strengthen through the trade before the trade deadline, change the lineup to impact the playoffs or championship. Wei Shao was in an awkward position on the team, and he never had a chemical reaction with the team for half a season, so he became the Lakers' main trading chip. On January 24, Beijing time, the US media Fade World listed a 1-for-2 deal between the Lakers and the Timberwolves.
The Lakers get: Beverly and Russell
Timberwolves get: Westbrook
Objectively speaking, Wei Shao is an excellent ball carrier. However, in the Lakers, James needs a lot of ball control, and the Lakers are more inclined to let James dominate the ball in the tactical system. Clearly, Westbrook wasn't a good fit for James. The Deal the Lakers can get Beverley and Russell, both of which are more suitable for the Lakers' system style.
As a 15-year-old leaderboard, Russell was once a member of the Purple Gold players. When he became a free agent from the Nets that year, he was also one of the targets that the Lakers wanted to recruit, and eventually he joined the Warriors by signing first and then changing. Russell will be a great partner for James and Thick Brow, with a decent outside shooting ability and the ability to play without the ball. He can provide space for the James, and when the two rest on the bench, Russell can also control the ball and take on the responsibility of organizing the attack.
Beverly can bring the Lakers top-level outside defensive ability. In the past four games, the Lakers have been using Ariza as the team's starting point, hoping that he can play a 3D role. But Ariza's performance was a mess, the performance was completely out of line with expectations, and the Lakers needed to make adjustments. Beverley could clearly be a very good choice for the Lakers.
Considering that the Timberwolves have two new stars, Downs and Edwards, Russell's position is not solid. Although Beverley has played a role as a veteran in the team, it is not irreplaceable. That's the biggest reason the Lakers can impress the Timberwolves. The deal maximizes the value of the Lakers' two stars and complements the outside defense.
The Timberwolves, while currently sitting on the young big three of Towns, Edwards and Russell, have always been just a team that hovers on the play-off tickets. If Westbrook can be obtained, the Timberwolves will be able to play to the maximum level of Downs and Edwards.
Downs is not just a great interior player, he also has a good outside shooting ability, and he seems to be a good fit for each other. The arrival of Wei Shao allows Downs to completely liberate himself and project on the outside. Downs can provide enough room for Westbrook to break through, and Edwards is also a player with a wealth of scoring means, and he can also open up space for Westbrook to become the second possession behind him.
Westbrook helped the Wizards make it to the playoffs last season in a bad start, proving that he actually has enough ability to change the game. The Timberwolves have only had one playoff experience in the past 17 years, and the team still relied on Jimmy Butler's good performance that year. Westbrook has a chance to be a changemaker for this team. He's going to be very interesting when he can play his fists and kicks in the arena, and we have reason to believe that Westbrook can get better at the Timberwolves.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)