Since leaving the familiar Thunder team, Wei Shao has never been able to play the style of the historical "triple double king", whether it is joining the Rockets to join his friend Harden, or after that, Wei Shao's performance has been criticized by the outside world.
Until joining the Lakers this season, under the huge exposure of Los Angeles, Westbrook's big package style of play completely failed, because he had James, who also needed to hold the ball for a long time.
Coupled with the decline in thick-browed shooting ability, Westbrook had to accept the role of no ball and became a bottom corner shooter with a back of $44 million.
When a team let Westbrook be the shooter, they are not far from losing, and after losing to the Suns, the Lakers have missed the playoff competition three rounds in advance.
Wei Shao is naturally not the root cause of all this, but Wei Shao is the direct cause of the failure of the Lakers on the surface, and in the case that the root cause cannot be solved in the short term, then solving the person who brings the direct problem is the best choice.
Especially considering that the total contract salary of the Lakers' big three next season will be as high as $120 million, which has exceeded the salary cap, if the Lakers do not want to waste another season, they must deal with Wei Shao's contract.
The Lakers have two paths to choose from, the first is to negotiate with Wei Shao to complete the buyout, because Wei Shao's contract has only one last season left, and the Lakers can share this contract for the next three seasons.
A $16.5 million share per season, or $16.5 million in salary space for three consecutive seasons, would give the Lakers full access to midfield exceptions and biennial exceptions next season.
The other path is to trade off Wei Shao, which is of course a better choice than a buyout, but Wei Shao's contract has led to few potential buyers for him.
In response to this topic, the US media "nbaanalysis" listed the top 3 dark horse suitors in Wei Shao, of which the blazers ranked 2nd, and there was no suspense at the top of the list.
Option three: Pistons
The Pistons are in the early stages of reconstruction, which gives the team reason to swallow Westbrook's big contract, because Westbrook's contract is only one year left, and the Pistons can exchange short-term salary space for more chips for the future.
In particular, the Lakers have always been very interested in Grant, and have tried to get him before the trade deadline, and the two teams can build a deal around Westbrook and Grant.
The Pistons could ask the Lakers for 1-2 first-round picks, and the Lakers got Grant, a quality 3D player, while cleaning up Westbrook.
Option two: The Trail Blazers
The Blazers have gone into a full rebuild this season, clearing out a number of instant players including McCollum and Powell, leaving only the injured Lillard untrodited.
If the Blazers can't build a reasonable championship lineup in the offseason, it's only a matter of time before Lillard forces the palace to leave, and joining the Lakers is a reasonable option, and he spoke to James last summer.
While Westbrook's contract and lakers' chips may not directly impress the Blazers, if Lillard names the Lakers, then everything could happen.
Option one: Knicks
There is no doubt that the top spot belongs to the Knicks, as the Knicks have fallen out with the core Randall, and the home fans continue to boo the core of the team who is in a slump.
With his contract with Rose, he can match Westbrook's big contract, and Westbrook's contract has only one year left, which can free up salary space for the Knicks in advance, which makes everything have a reasonable reason to happen.
Especially considering Westbrook's highly ornamental style of play, joining the Knicks to help the team impact the playoffs may become a win-win choice.