ESPN: Zhan Huang has sent away 15 first rounds after entering the league The Situation for the Lakers and the 18-year Cavaliers is not the same

This season, the Lakers' record has not met expectations, and many fans are expecting the team to make a difference at the trade deadline. The Cavaliers in 2018 have become a Finals team again through continuous operation. However, ESPN expert Bobby Max wrote that today's Lakers and the Cavaliers of the past are not in the same situation.

Now the Lakers' bad situation, the Cavaliers have also experienced, the time back to the 2017-18 season, when LeBron James is still at a high level, but the teammates around them seem to be not in the state, after the year-end war lost to the Warriors, the Cavaliers in the following month, only got a 3-10 record, the league's penultimate second-to-last. The Lakers had future Hall of Fame Wade, former MVP Derrick Rose and All-Star guard Thomas Jr., but that team lacked cohesion.

When the trade deadline approached, the Cavaliers completely changed the lineup, Wade, Rose, Fry, Crowder and others sent away one after another, James had new helpers by his side, and eventually they reached the Finals again. But Lakers fans shouldn't expect that history will happen again in 2022. Although James still has a very good performance, today's Lakers do not have the ability to make a trade like the Cavaliers did.

First of all, because the value of Westbrook's deal declined, and the transaction with the Wizards occurred, the Lakers should be aware of this risk. If Westbrook, as the third giant, does not play any role, then it will be difficult for the Lakers to continue to operate. The top 10 players in the league salary list, such as Curry for $45.8 million, Harden for $44.3 million, Durant for $40.9 million, Paul George for $39.3 million, Leonard for $39.3 million, are all home stars of each team, and no team will easily send them away, let alone that Westbrook is going through the worst season since 2009-10.

Wiggins' contract was also once seen as a burden by some, but this season, Wiggins entered the All-Star starter, and Love has become a candidate for the sixth man of the year in the Cavaliers. The combined salaries of the Lakers' big three reached $120 million, and the only ones with transaction value were Tucker and Nunn. The Lakers packed the two away, plus a first-round pick, and may be able to exchange for a player with an annual salary of about $18.1 million.

But the question is whether the Lakers are willing to do this, after all, the first-round pick may already be 2027 or 2028, when James may have retired, and Thick Brow may have joined other teams. One thing worth noting, though, is that since James entered the league in 2003, his Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers have sent away 15 first-round picks.

Although the Lakers have limited first-round picks, they have seven second-round picks at this deal deadline that can be used as chips, including a second-round pick for them and from the Bulls in 2023. Of course, it is very likely that the Lakers have not changed much by this year's trading deadline, and in this case, the Lakers will definitely change dramatically this summer. At present, only James, Thick Brow, Westbrook, Tucker, Nunn and Stanley Johnson and Austin Rivers still have contracts next season, the bad news is that the total salary of these players will reach $149 million, and the Lakers may rely more on the old future to fill the lineup.

At that time, the Lakers need to be like the Heat, when signing free agents, they can't just care about fame. Reeves Jr., Munch, and Stanley Johnson proved that the Lakers should focus not on what a player has done in the past, but whether they can help the team now.

in Kelsang