All-Star Weekend gives all teams time to rest, but for the Lakers, this All-Star weekend isn't so easy either. Anthony Davis suffered an ankle injury in the game against the Jazz and he will be reviewed four weeks later. I have to say that this is a big blow to the Lakers, and now the Lakers' playoff qualifications are unstable, coupled with Davis' absence, the Lakers' ranking may continue to decline.
This season's Lakers can really be described as "many disasters and difficulties", after the trade to Russell Westbrook, the Lakers' big three have always had run-in problems, coupled with Davis's injury, the Lakers' hope of winning the championship has long been worn out. The Lakers didn't do anything before the player trade deadline, and they wanted to end all their journeys of the season with this lineup. And in recent times, the Lakers management has also exposed some problems, it seems that the Lakers' problem is not only the problem of players running in, the entire management is also a mess.
In fact, in the 2021 offseason, the Lakers not only have one choice, Buddy Hield and Demar DeRozan have been the targets of the Lakers, but unfortunately the Lakers finally chose Westbrook. Judging from the performance of this season, it is a pity for the Lakers to miss DeRozan, who has averaged 28.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season, shooting 51.7% from the field, leading the Bulls to a second-place record of 38 wins and 21 losses in the East. If the Lakers can get DeRozan, will it be better?
In fact, DeRozan and James also need to run in, because DeRozan has enough ball power in the Bulls this season, and it is mainly singles, and opening up space is not what he is good at, so even if the Lakers get DeRozan, the effect may not be better. However, DeRozan's overall performance is much better than Thato's, and the salary is cheaper, and the Lakers seem to be more inclined to DeRozan. But recently it was revealed that the Lakers were not willing to give DeRozan a three-year contract in the offseason. In fact, the key is Still James.
DeRozan joined the Bulls on a sign-first-served basis, with a three-year, $81.9 million contract that ran from the 21st-22nd season until the end of the 23-24 season, with salaries of $26 million, $27.3 million and $28.6 million for three seasons. The Lakers did not lack players who matched DeRozan's contract at that time, but the reason why the Lakers were reluctant to give DeRozan a three-year contract was that they did not want future reconstruction to be affected.
James struck a 2-year, $85 million early renewal contract with the Lakers in 2020, which covers the previous contract for the 21-22 season, which will expire in the 22-23 season, which also means that James will become a full free agent in the 2023 offseason, and he can choose to stay with the Lakers or choose to join other teams. The problem is that the Lakers don't seem to have enough confidence to keep James, so they are reluctant to give DeRozan a 3-year contract.
The traded Major will have a player option in 2022, and even if he executes the player option, Westbrook's contract will expire in the 2023 offseason. As a result, the Lakers will have enough salary space in the 2023 offseason, and the player they have a formal contract is Davis's $40.6 million, which is enough for the Lakers to sign an All-Star naked player in the offseason. But what if deRozan was given a three-year contract? The Lakers' salary space in the 2023 offseason will be affected, which will affect their operations in the offseason.
So, the Lakers' reluctance to give DeRozan a three-year contract is definitely for reconstruction considerations. If James feels that the Lakers have no hope of winning the championship, or feels that the Lakers are no longer suitable for him, he is likely to join other teams after the expiration of his contract, which is exactly what the Lakers are worried about. Instead of bringing in DeRozan for James, it is better to prepare for the worst, even if you can't keep James in the future, at least in terms of salary space.
Text/Duncan's laugh