The Lakers lost 116-131 to the Bucks at home, swallowing another defeat, with a record of 26 wins and 29 losses, 0.5 wins behind the Clippers, ranking ninth in the West! They scored up to 30 points in the whole game, and at one point in the fourth quarter, they were only 10 points behind, but unfortunately they did not work like the last Knicks.
In the lakers' current state, losing to the defending champion Bucks is not surprising, but in this game, Vogel directly abandoned Wei Shao in the fourth quarter, leaving him sitting on the cold bench for 12 minutes, which once again caused heated discussion after the game.
Westbrook played 26 minutes and 05 seconds in the first three quarters, shooting 3-of-11, 0-of-1 from three-point range, 4-of-7 from the free throw line, 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block, and at the end of the third quarter, the Lakers trailed by 24 points at 85-109. Watching the team fall into a desperate situation, Vogel wanted to emulate the miracle of the last game to play the Knicks and hide Westbrook again, but this time the miracle did not happen.
Wei Shao sat on the sidelines at the last moment and showed an eerie smile, after James and Thick Brow came off, he also walked over and patted both of them on the shoulder to show comfort, Westbrook revealed after the game that he told Zhan Mei that he wanted to help them, but not in the game, it was not something he could decide, hoping that they would stay awake.
Pelinka was questioned
Vogel previously revealed that the abandonment of Westbrook at key moments is allowed by management, and from these two games, it is likely that removing Westbrook from the final lineup is likely to become his next usual tactic.
It wouldn't be surprising if a player other than the Big 3 were abandoned in the fourth quarter, but as a star with an annual salary of 44 million, it was a surprise that he didn't help the team on the court at a critical moment. After the game, some fans posted questions about the coaching staff's use of Wei Shao, and angrily accused Pelinka of ruining the team!
One fan named MONK FANATIC wrote: "Honestly, I don't have any positive words to say, I've reached the point of collapse. If Westbrook can't be allowed to end the game, then why let him start? He needs to sit on the bench permanently. Pelinka ruined the team, put together a poor line-up, and it's time for a trade to stop the loss."
Indeed, according to the current situation, the Lakers have no excuses, at the beginning of the season they can have a different lineup as an excuse, but now the Lakers' lineup is relatively complete, but the 3 giants on the field are like strangers, completely failed to play the power of the 3 giants, James and thick eyebrows of the tacit understanding is still there, but Wei Shao is incompatible with them.
Trading is a win-win situation
When the Lakers traded Westbrook, they wanted to have another star-level helper in the absence of James or Thick Brow, but half a season later, Westbrook failed to meet management expectations, and even the two sides had reached the point of separation to achieve a win-win situation.
Today's Wei Shao seems to be dispensable around Zhan Mei, and Vogel has repeatedly abandoned him, which also proves this. For the Lakers, Wei Shao is like a hot potato, and whether to use him has become a headache for the coaching team.
For Westbrook, he did not completely slip to the point of embarrassment, but if he was consistently abandoned by Vogel, in addition to hitting his confidence, it would also make his competitive state decline, making more teams daunted by him.
Therefore, the Lakers want to find a way to send Wei Shao away, which is a relief for them and a new opportunity, and Wei Shao can also go to another team to find himself again.
The Lakers have no choice?
With the transaction deadline approaching, the Lakers have almost no way back, less than 40 hours before the transaction deadline, the Lakers want to find a big deal involving Wei Shao at this time, it is extremely difficult. After all, Westbrook's status and contract are in front of them, unless they are willing to post the first round of signings or even more assets.
Previously, the media revealed that the Rockets are willing to exchange Wall for Wei Shao, but need the Lakers to send the first round of the 2027 pick, but the offer of this first round of signing, so that Pelinka decided to give up this potential deal, they hope to keep Wei Shao, looking forward to the 3 Giants after the healthy fit, can launch a sprint in the second half of the season, but from the current point of view, the Lakers even if the 3 giants are healthy, can not solve the team problem.
So, the Lakers want to trade Westbrook, only one day left, in the case of other teams generally have no interest in Westbrook, perhaps discussing a trade with the Rockets Wall, will be their last chance to save the season. Of course, trading Wall also means they need to take a risk on another downhill giant, but there are few other options than Wall.