Malik Munch was one of the few highlights of the Lakers' disappointing season, but the U.S. media believes the Lakers may send him away before the trade deadline. On January 25, Beijing time, the US media lakeshowlife listed three reasons for the Lakers or choosing to trade Munch, and it was difficult to complete the renewal with him as one of them.
Reason one: Vogel did not insist on reusing him
The Lakers have had Munch start in 9 consecutive games, and in those 9 games, Munch averaged 18.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, shooting 50.9% from the field and 50% from three-point range. But a 37-point defeat left Vogel with the option to adjust the starting lineup and Munch returned to the bench. In the four games that followed as a substitute, Munch averaged only 10.3 points per game, and his presence dropped significantly.
It must be admitted that Munch's defensive ability is average, but the starting Bradley's defense is not much better than Munch's. So far this season, Bradley's defensive plus-minus is 0.1, while Munch is -0.7, which is not much difference, but in terms of offense, Munch is really much better than Bradley. The Fact that the Lakers haven't reused Munch all the time also shows that he may not be a player that the Lakers have to keep.
Reason two: Munch's trading value has never been higher
Munch is only a low-salary player, but his excellent performance after starting has enhanced the value of his trade. Arguably, since Munch entered the NBA, it's likely to be the time when he traded at the highest value.
Horton Tucker was once a high-value chip for the Lakers to trade, but Lakeshowlife noted that the Lakers missed the best time to trade him. When the Lakers chose to renew tucker's contract, his performance did not meet expectations, and the value of the transaction also declined. There aren't so many teams interested in Tucker anymore.
In terms of trading, Wei Shao is almost a negative asset, the big contract makes him lose the trading value, and Thick Brow and James naturally will not go anywhere. Nunn had previously been valuable, but injuries prevented him from playing and his value was declining. In terms of base salary players, Howard may have the value of getting a second round pick, but in fact, the only base salary player who is valuable to both playoff teams and rebuilding teams is Munch.
If the Lakers really want to make a desperate bet, they are likely to choose to take an attractive chip like Munch when they compete for a goal similar to Grant, after all, they have used Tucker + Nunn + first-round signings to quote other teams, and have not received a positive response. Using Munch to make the offer more attractive is an option that Pelinka would consider.
Reason three: The Lakers are difficult to renew him in the offseason
Insiders believe that whether the Lakers trade Munch or not, it will be difficult for him to wear the Lakers jersey again next season. Lakeshowlife noted that unless other teams ignored Munch as they did last offseason, it would be difficult for Munch to stay with the Lakers.
As mentioned earlier, Munch's value has never been higher, and his performances in the Lakers' first few starts have been enough to become a chip to attract other teams. He's unlikely to sign another base salary, the biggest contract the Lakers can offer him should be a mini middle class with an annual salary of about $6 million, and Munch is expected to get a four-year contract from other teams that starts at $10 million or more.
Since the Lakers will not be able to keep Munch, sending him away in a suitable trading plan will naturally be included in Pelinka's consideration. Whether the Lakers will make a move before the trade deadline depends largely on the team's performance after the comeback of the thick eyebrows. If the Lakers still don't improve significantly in the next half a month, then the likelihood of Munch being used as a trading chip will be greatly improved.