The Lakers are about to be relieved, missing the playoffs should be the best news of the season, James does not have to risk a comeback to compete for the regular season scoring champion, thick eyebrows do not have to worry about injuries in the playoffs, And Westbrook is not afraid of being accused of poor performance by many parties. Basically, the Lakers can prepare for everything next season, including coach changes, trades, etc. Assuming that the Lakers decide that James and Thick Brow are not for sale, then Westbrook is the lakers' next focus on the object, in the offseason is far easier to deal with than in the previous stage, and Westbrook does not seem to have only one option to return to the Thunder.
It is reported that even if the Lakers are traded, they may not make a drastic lineup change, the latest deal is the Spurs, the Lakers may send Westbrook and the 2027 first-round pick, hoping to exchange for the Spurs' McDermott, Langford and Josh Richardson. The author is the first time to see such a trading plan, somewhat surprised, but think about it, this is also no way, if the Spurs really agree to take over Westbrook. Initially, the Lakers' purpose is only two, the first is to quickly send away this trouble, and the second is to bring James accurate projection players.
Josh Richardson and McDermott are two of the more consistent outside shooters, shooting 42 percent from three-point range this season. Among them, Josh Richardson is 28 years old, and as he gets older, his athleticism will definitely gradually deteriorate, but if you put him in the Lakers' rotation lineup, it is enough to use, but I believe he will still contribute a steady wing score. But what the Lakers have to consider is whether there is room to match Josh Richardson's contract of about $12 million, and if so, Josh Richardson will definitely not disappoint James.
McDermott is undoubtedly the Spurs' strongest shooter now, and Popovich enjoys using him, though this is only the first time McDermott has played for the Spurs. Don't look at the fame of these players is not big, but if they are placed next to James, there should still be a lot of room to play, and the ability to play out. The author feels that the Lakers should start to be pragmatic, if they can make the lineup balance higher, the dependence on James is further reduced, and returning to the playoffs is certainly not a problem. On the other hand, the Spurs, this season's ability to overwhelm the Lakers, is not accidental, but because they are actually in the reconstruction phase, they are also facing popovich's retirement.
Therefore, they actually do not mind taking over Westbrook's big contract in the last year, on the one hand, they can use Westbrook's experience and single-core team leadership ability to better help spur other young players improve, on the other hand, waiting for Westbrook's big contract to end, the Spurs' salary space will be released more, and more trading operations can naturally be carried out. Since the Lakers need immediate combat strength, the Spurs need the future, the two sides are very compatible, it depends on the offseason, the two sides can negotiate smoothly. Perhaps, when Westbrook leaves the Lakers, it is the beginning of the Lakers' re-emergence, and James can still talk about the goal of winning the championship next season.