The NBA playoffs have reached the end of the first round, and the Nuggets narrowly defeated the Lakers 108-106, eliminating the Lakers 4-1 to enter the second round, and their opponent is the Timberwolves, who swept the Suns 4-0. Thick eyebrows were knocked to the left shoulder by Porter Jr. at 10:53 in the third quarter, and he had been injured in the same part in March. In the second game, Murray once faced a thick eyebrow kill, and after hitting a three-point shot in this game, he hit a shot again, and the Lakers insisted on being normal after all. With the Lakers out, James, who is about to turn 40, has also come to a crossroads, and for the Lakers, a series of operations has just begun.
First of all, let's talk about the three players who should stay, thick eyebrows, Hachimura and Reeves have contracts and are not bad. Although there are not many ways to face European centers, his dominance is no problem, and the Lakers need to find a suitable strong center for him, and liberating to the power forward position is the best answer. Thick eyebrows have signed a three-year, $186 million contract extension with the Lakers, $40.6 million in the 2023/24 season, $43.2 million in the 2024/25 season, and the new contract for the next three years is $57.6 million, $62.2 million and $66.8 million respectively. Thick eyebrows faced the Nuggets, averaging 27.8 points, 15.6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.6 blocks per game, which was very comprehensive, and the shooting rate was as high as 63.4%.
Hachimura had a terrible game, hitting 0-of-6 from three-point range in the opening game, and all open opportunities and breakaways to the basket went to nothing, finishing with 15 points and 5 rebounds on 6-of-15 shooting. Hachimura signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension with the Lakers, $15.74 million for the 2023/24 season, and $17 million and $18.25 million for the next two seasons, respectively. Hachimura averaged 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs, shooting 35.7% from three-point range and 50% from the free-throw line, and did not score more than 10 points in the first four games against the Nuggets.
Reaves scored nine straight points in the final quarter of the final game, averaging 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game in the series, but shooting just 26.9% from three-point range. Reaves previously signed a four-year, $56 million contract extension with the Lakers for $12.04 million for the 2023/24 season, with player options for $12.98 million, $13.94 million and $14.9 million for the next three seasons, with a 15% trade margin and an 8% annual increase.
Several Lakers players will have player options this offseason, with Russell $18.69 million in the final year. Russell averaged 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game against the Nuggets in the playoffs, shooting 31.8% from three-point range and just 50% from the free-throw line. Russell's biggest problem is still a lack of consistency, which is a big gap to the Nuggets Murray, who scored 13 and 23 points in the first two games, and then did not score in 0-of-7, and the last two games were 21 and 14 points. Russell will have a hard time getting a contract extension this summer, so it would be wise to trade for quality resources.
The rest of the player options are $3.03 million for Wood, $2.46 million for Reddish, $2.46 million for Hayes, Prince a full free agent, and rookie Christie a full free agent. Vincent's 3-year, $33 million contract has 2 years left in full protection, which is basically in the hands of the smasher, and he has been out of action due to injury in the regular season with an average of only 3.1 points and 1.9 assists, a three-point shooting rate of 10.7%, a playoff low of 1.4 points and 1.6 rebounds, a three-point shooting rate of 14.3%, and a three-game hanging 0 against the Nuggets.
It is unlikely that Vincent's performance will stay in the team, and the rest of the squad may not be available for the new season. The Lakers have signed Vanderbilt to a four-year, $48 million contract extension, and he has been sidelined for multiple games this season due to injury and has a salary of $4.69 million. $10.71 million for the 2024/25 season, followed by $11.57 million, $12.43 million and $13.29 million player options. Although Van der Biao is excellent defensively, his offense is average, which can also be exchanged for high-quality resources. Dinwiddie moved to the Lakers for $1.5 million this season, and it will be difficult to renew his contract in the future after it expires.