With James leaving the team early, one has to worry that his injury will cause a period of absence, after all, at the age of 37, recovery is not an easy task. At this time, it is rare that the core of the backcourt Westbrook can stay healthy and can also block everyone's mouth with performance. But James will come back sooner or later, his chemistry with Westbrook is almost nothing, of course, when the state is good, it is unstoppable, but unfortunately there has been no coherent good state. So, the Lakers inevitably continue to try to trade Westbrook.
At present, the Knicks are the closest contact with the Lakers, but Pelinka knows that only one deal is dangerous, and if the negotiations fail, Westbrook really has to stay on the team. It is reported that Pelinka is also actively seeking other backup options, and it is a direction that will make Westbrook difficult to refuse. Some media revealed that Wei Shao's former owner, the Thunder, has become a reserve negotiator for the Lakers, and the potential deal is that the Lakers and the Thunder will make a three-for-three.
The Lakers have to take out Westbrook and 1 first-round pick, 1 second-round pick, and the pair can exchange for the Thunder's Muscala, Favors and Kenridge Williams. This plan is actually not the best for both sides, but the Thunder team is in the reconstruction stage, and the return of Wei Shao that can be ushered in is more of an emotional need, after all, he was once the strongest leader of the Thunder, and the fans also hope to see Wei Shao lead the Thunder team forward again.
And the three people that the Lakers can exchange, if Vogel can use it well, or there are still unexpected surprises. First of all, Kenridge Williams is a rare jack-of-all-trades player who has almost no characteristics, but he can do anything. It has to be said that his shooting rate of shooting three-pointers in the bottom corner is as high as 61%, which may be the basis for his foothold in the Lakers. Second, his defensive efficiency is eighth in the league, and the Lakers' defensive problems are expected to be well solved.
There is also Favors, who can be inside and outside, and his suppression on the inside can also bring a lot of space to the Lakers' outside line, so there must be a place for him in the rotation lineup. Finally, Muscala is also an interior player who can bring unexpected surprises on the outside, he is a veteran of the Lakers, there is no doubt about the familiarity of the team, and he is a plug-and-play player. The feasibility of the above three-for-three trading plan still exists, and everything depends on whether the Lakers will negotiate with the Knicks to collapse the preferred plan. Overall, the Lakers this wave is not a loss, if it can come true, only the two giants of the Lakers team is more worth looking forward to.