On February 6, Beijing time, there is less than a week left before the trade deadline of this season, and in recent times, teams have been actively exploring reinforcement methods. So what is the news in the trading market today that deserves our attention? Let's take a brief look.
First of all, according to the latest news brought by Jake Fisher, a well-known reporter of "Open Air Stand", because the Lakers' record this season is far from meeting expectations, they must now be forced to make adjustments. Considering that sending away Westbrook's two-year premium contract is not practical, Pelinka can only start with other role players to see if a breakthrough can be found.
It is reported that the Lakers management is currently actively peddling 5 players to other teams, in addition to the Horton Tucker and Nunn we mentioned earlier, and now also join Jordan Jr., Howard and Bazemore, if there is a good trade target, they are even willing to take their own 2027 first-round picks. However, according to Jake Fisher, the Lakers will definitely not take this first-round pick in order to send Westbrook away, they will only use this first-round pick to upgrade the lineup.
Secondly, according to the famous American media "The Athletic" Sam Amick reported, Harden had an in-depth exchange with the boss Fertitta before leaving the Rockets, and Fertitta allowed him to choose between the Nets and the 76ers, and finally Harden chose the Nets. It is worth mentioning that Fertitta also gave Harden a promise that if he is not happy outside, he can choose to return to the Rockets, because this will always be his home.
But to be honest, this kind of thing is not realistic for Harden now, the reason why he chose to leave the Rockets in the first place was for his championship dream, and the Rockets' record this season ranked first in the West, how could he go back in this case? If the Nets win the championship this year, harden is even less likely to leave, so at least in recent years he will not return to the Rockets.
The final news came from the Trail Blazers, who had just made a big deal with the Clippers, and according to NBA reporter Michael Scotto, it is now widely believed that they will send McCollum before the trade deadline this season. With The rapid growth of Anfenni Simmons, the Blazers management seems to see their future, so now they are willing to send off the veteran on the team to increase the 22-year-old's ball.
McCollum is only 30 years old this year and is at the peak of his career. Since the start of the season, he has averaged 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1 steal, 0.6 blocks per game, shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three-point range. Although McCollum has a good quality, his contract is also quite large, with an annual salary of $30.86 million this season, and 33.33 million and 35.8 million in the next two years.
As the Blazers' star, Lillard just said in an interview recently that if the team ends up fighting for the draft picks, then there is no point in him playing. The Blazers have just sent away the team's third scorer Powell, and the flanker Covington, if they trade McCollum now, it is likely to directly force Lillard.