In the blink of an eye, the NBA regular season is halfway through, and the James-led Lakers are still in the play-in zone. Many Lakers fans expect Lakers general manager Pelinka to help the Lakers rejuvenate once again through trades after the trade market opens. Currently, the Atlanta Hawks' Dejounte Murray is the Lakers' favorite trade option. However, according to multiple media reports in the United States, the Hawks want to get Rivers and two first-round picks in the Murray trade, such a trade offer obviously exceeds the Lakers' expectations, and if they can't trade Dejounte Murray Lakers management, it is likely to set their sights on other players.
According to the NBA Analysis Network, Lakers general manager Pelinka is in contact with the No. 1 Timberwolves in the West, and Pelinka hopes to reach a 5-for-2 deal with the Timberwolves. The deal was for the Lakers to send Russell, Vanderbilt, Hayes, Christie, and a first-round pick as chips to get the Timberwolves' Gobert and Conley. At present, the Forest is at the top of the Western Conference, but the overlap between Towns and Gobert has not been resolved, and the Timberwolves also hope to free up some salary space by trading Towns or Gobert, on the one hand, to help the Timberwolves save salary, and on the other hand, to prepare for Edwards.
If the Lakers can reach this 5-for-2 deal with the Timberwolves, then the Lakers will form a new version of the Big Three of James, thick eyebrows and Gobert. Gobert and Bushy Eyebrows will form the Lakers' interior twin towers. Gobert's arrival could return Bushy to his better No. 4 position. Such an interior combination can make the Lakers' interior rim protection and rebounding ability at the top of the league. Gobert is one of the league's top blue-collar interior players, and his defensive coverage and height advantage will be a huge help to the Lakers' defense. The veteran Conley was also an excellent playmaker in the league at his peak, and his arrival can relieve the organizational pressure of the Lakers to a certain extent and improve the offensive efficiency of the Lakers. It can be said that if the Lakers complete this deal, the overall strength will rise significantly, and the Lakers also hope to make a difference in the playoffs.
However, the Timberwolves have a solid record this season, and once traded, the Gobert team's fighting power is likely to be affected. And the trade chips sent by the Lakers are not attractive to the Timberwolves, most of them are role players as bargaining chips, and there is no substantial improvement to the overall strength of the Timberwolves, so the Lakers' trade offer is difficult to impress the old management of the Forest to let Gobert and Conley leave, so I personally feel that if the Lakers really intend to complete the Gobert trade in the trade market, then they must increase the trade chips in this deal to be able to complete the transaction.