The 21-22 NBA regular season is nearing its end, and the Los Angeles Lakers are currently ranked eleventh in the West, two wins away from the Spurs in front of them, and there is little hope of a playoff. At the end of the ten games left in the regular season, the Lakers are still in ninth place in the West, most people think that they will enter the playoffs as long as they win three of the next ten games, and even many media believe that the Purple and Gold Army will be the biggest dark horse in the West. But what everyone didn't expect was that the Lakers fell into the trough of this season's status at the end of the regular season, the team's record fell freely, and a wave of six consecutive losses almost took away all their hopes for the season. Although Anthony Davis has returned and is in good shape, Westbrook's performance has also picked up, but James' injury has undoubtedly caused the Lakers to be seriously injured. In this case, recent discussions about the Lakers have focused more on their summer operations.
The summer of 2022 is arguably one of the lakers' most critical offseasons in the last five or even decades. After James came to the Lakers, his four seasons of winning a championship were barely acceptable, but his performance of failing to enter the playoffs twice was somewhat unsatisfactory. Many critics believe that the Lakers have a very high ceiling after forming the duo of James and Davis, but only have the opportunity to explore the ceiling in the 19-20 season, and the rest of the season is delayed by the injuries of the two. James' contract has one year to go, and considering he's approaching the age of 38 next season, while playing the scoring champion this season, the Lakers and James don't have much time left. They need to regroup as soon as possible this summer to make a final attempt before James retires.
Recently, the Lakers celebrity, known as the "invisible management" of Elvin Magic" Johnson revealed several key pieces of information in an interview with the media. First of all, Vogel will leave the team after the season, and the Lakers' defeat this season needs a person to bear the blame, and now it seems that Vogel will pay for it. Second, the Lakers may not send Westbrook away as the outside world thinks, but may prioritize sending Davis away. It is reported that Westbrook's performance in the final stage of the season still impressed the Lakers' top management, they believe that if the star point guard can maintain such a performance, there is still a chance to impact the championship without injuries in the lineup. In addition, the Lakers have paid a lot of chips to get Westbrook, and if they package the first-round draft picks this summer, it will lead to a huge investment failure.
As for Anthony Davis, Johnson thinks the big forward is very strong, but his physical condition is really bad. In addition to maintaining good attendance during the championship season, Anthony Davis has spent more of his last few seasons in casual clothes on the bench. Johnson believes that if Davis still can't stay healthy next season, then the Lakers should trade the 28-year-old All-Star interior line as early as possible. After the failure of the Big Three plan this season, active general manager Pelinka's position within the Lakers is very delicate. Jenny Bath has asked Johnson several times this season about the team, and the former Lakers basketball president's public release at this time is worth savoring. In any case, the Lakers can no longer make the mistake of hesitating in the offseason in the past few seasons, and they must put into action as soon as possible no matter what decision they make.