On February 16, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA regular season continued. So far, the Lakers' record is only 26 wins and 31 losses, ranking 9th in the West, which is obviously far from the expectations of fans. The Lakers didn't reach any deals before the recent deal deadline.
Earlier today, Fame Dave McMenamin and Ramona Shelburne revealed the reasons for the Lakers' two failed deals. Ramona Shelburne said: "The Lakers can complete the deal at the cost of paying a first-round pick, and later some people even suggested that as long as the draft signing swap is ok. They have to give the Rockets some compensation to facilitate the deal, and I think the Lakers need to give less compensation than people think. In my opinion, the Lakers are not ready to send Westbrook away. ”
Dave McMenamin said the two sides had tried to put Wood in the deal during communication with the Rockets, but that would involve more money. According to the information I got from Houston, the Lakers are not willing to bear more financial pressure.
Ramona Shelburne said: "One of the claims in the league is that the Lakers called and they would do it as long as there was a reasonable deal. They could have easily struck a deal, but they weren't willing to suffer any pain, whether it was an increased luxury tax, a heavier payroll burden, or draft pick compensation. Anyway, the Lakers called, and they tried to do something, but they didn't feel that sense of urgency. ”
So far this season, Westbrook has averaged 34.6 minutes per game, averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.1 steals, shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from three-point range. His performance did not meet the requirements of the Lakers management, and he did not have a good chemistry with the team.