According to reports, during the playoffs, the Lakers, who missed the playoffs, are not idle, they are still planning their future operations, and the deal about Westbrook will become an important operation that will affect their performance next season. It is revealed that Wei Shao also seems to have made a statement on social media at present, he deleted all the Lakers-related content on his ins, including pictures and videos, but he still retained his Lakers avatar and Lakers-related content on Twitter. Such a subtle operation also seems to imply that he will leave the Lakers in the offseason.
In the offseason of last season, the Lakers traded chips such as Pop, Harrell and Kuzma from wizards for Westbrook, forming a big three with James and Davis. Before the start of the season, many fans had high hopes for such a combination, and also believed that the Lakers would become the biggest hit of the season under their leadership. However, since the beginning of the season, the Lakers' performance has been unsatisfactory, and finally ended up missing the playoffs. While injuries and the team's poor run-in were the most important factors, Westbrook, who performed poorly, also had to take responsibility.
This season, Wei Shao has played 78 games for the Lakers, which can be called the highest attendance player in the Lakers, but at the same time, he can only get 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game in the average 34.3 minutes per game, shooting only 44.4%, shooting only 29.8% from three-point range, and the three statistics have a significant decline compared to last season. Although he had to change the way he played with James and Davis, Westbrook's performances this season have been outrageously bad.
The Lakers chose to trade Westbrook in the offseason because they wanted him to take on the responsibilities of the team's organizer and third-point score, but throughout the season, he has not been able to do both. In terms of scoring, Westbrook's scoring this season has hit a new low in the past 11 seasons, and it is really surprising that there are often empty shots on the field or even directly smashed into the timer. In terms of organization, this season's Westbrook averaged an astonishingly high number of turnovers per game in the first half of the season, and there were often dribble dribbles and passes to the bench, which made many fans wonder.
Since the beginning of the season, the voice about trading Westbrook has been there, but even at the end of the trade deadline, the Lakers have not had any deal about Westbrook, and he has been playing for the Lakers all season. Judging from the Lakers' press conference held at the end of the season and the current moves of Wei Shao, Wei Shao's departure has become inevitable. On the one hand, during last season's offseason, the Lakers also saw behavior about players deleting personal social media about the Lakers' dynamics and personal profiles.
Players including Harrell and Kuzma all left the team in the offseason last season, and the current Westbrook will most likely face the same situation. On the other hand, Wei Shao also expressed his difficulties and dissatisfaction with the Lakers in the press conference. He said that he has been very confused this season, has been in the dark, and neither the Team Nor the coach has given him enough support, and he has never been given a fair chance. In addition, the criticism and accusations of Lakers fans also made him feel very cold.
In this season, after Wei Shao's state has been very depressed for a long time, he not only encountered malicious taunts from fans on the road, but even the Lakers' home fans began to speak harshly about him at home, which made Wei Shao feel very uncomfortable. Therefore, no matter what the reason, Wei Shao's departure has become inevitable. The facts of this season have proven that neither side is suitable for each other and that only separation is the best option. However, it is not an easy task for Wei Shao to leave the Lakers at present, and there is no substantial progress at present.
It has been revealed that the current trading difficulty of Westbrook in the free market is very difficult, on the one hand, Westbrook's performance this season is very bad, coupled with the fact that he has also turned 32 years old, many teams in the league no longer believe that Westbrook can return to the peak in the future, and even some executives have expressed that they do not think Westbrook is a useful player. On the other hand, the more important reason is that Wei Shao's contract is really too big. Westbrook's current contract is a five-year, $206 million top salary contract with the Lakers in the summer of 2017, which expires next season's offseason. With Westbrook executing player options, the contract will trigger an annual salary of $47.06 million next season.
For the current Westbrook, this contract is undoubtedly a huge premium contract, which also makes many teams prohibitive, after all, there are few teams in the current league that can accommodate such a large contract. But the Lakers currently have no way to reach a buyout agreement with Westbrook, who has firmly rejected this, and he believes that if a buyout is reached, then it will have a great impact on his future career. Therefore, at present, the Lakers have fallen into a dilemma, it is difficult for them to find the next home that they want to trade with Wei Shao, and at the same time, they cannot reach a buyout with Wei Shao.
It is worth mentioning that there are rumors that the Pacers are willing to use Turner and Warren to exchange Wei Shao, if such a deal can really be reached, then it is undoubtedly a bloody deal for the Lakers. They can not only get rid of the burden of Wei Shao's big contract, but also exchange for two players with quasi-star level strength, if they can really reach such a deal, then the strength of the Lakers will undoubtedly be greatly improved. However, there is no further coverage of such a deal at this time, and there is still a long way to go about the Deal with Westbrook.
Of course, including this season, in fact, teams like the Rockets in the league have also proposed a plan for the Lakers to trade Westbrook, but because the Rockets asked for the first round of the deal, the Lakers rejected such a deal, and they currently have no willingness to take the first round of the deal with Westbrook. If the Lakers want to return to the top next season, it will become necessary to lose a first-round pick to send Westbrook away.