Why is the competition in the West too fierce, from the eighth Lone Ranger to the eleventh Thunder, all four teams have a 36-37 record, as long as they lose a game, they may not even qualify for the play-offs, the Lakers rank ninth in a wave of two consecutive wins, the Pelicans with a very strong momentum have a three-game winning streak, the Lakers will be surpassed if they are not careful, according to the latest reports, the Lakers have 9 games left, James will come back in the last few games, to ensure that the team cannot fall out of the play-offs.
The current lineup of the Lakers can be said to be very compatible, especially the rise of several role players, Vanderbilt's efficient defense, feeling endless, Reeves has become the thigh of the team, when the Lakers face an offensive dilemma, it is Reeves who bursts into the interior again and again to score, and is very smart, often able to play 2+1, although Beasley is not stable enough, but the feel is terrible, the three-point shot is unbelievable, just like JR Smith next to James, An occasional three-pointer might save the team.
This summer, the Lakers also face a problem, a number of rotation players need to renew, up to 4 years for Reeves to provide Reeves with a 50 million contract, if there are fans deliberately raise the price, the Lakers may not be able to stay, up to eight villages to provide an annual salary of 10 million contracts, ask too high can only send it away. There is also Lakers guard Russell, Russell has rejected a 2-year 67 million extension plan, hoping to get a long-term contract, and the salary is close to the top salary, sources revealed that the Lakers also provide a 3-year 96 million extension plan, there is also an incentive clause in the contract, the total salary is more than 100 million, this contract is still rejected by Russell.
Russell seeks a 4-year 150 million, or 5-year 180 million big contract, but the Lakers' salary space is simply not allowed, and Russell's performance is not worth a big contract, and key moments and key games are indeed very collapsed. With two career playoff experiences, he has not proven his scoring ability, shooting more than 36% from the field, averaging 5.3 assists per game, and averaging 3 turnovers per game, so it is difficult to get management willing to ask the Lakers for such a large contract.
Although Russell has an All-Star experience, his role on the court is really not as good as Reeves, if Russell has a super high performance in this year's playoffs, maybe he can add a lot of salary to the next contract, but from the current point of view, Russell's free market is not very good, the Timberwolves peddled him, no one cared for a long time, and was rejected by many teams. What do you think Russell's next contract should be?