The Lakers' playoff journey is over, and in addition to summarizing it well, the Lakers' top priority is to renew the contract of LeBron James. According to a report by Shams, multiple sources revealed that the Lakers are willing to offer James a three-year, $164 million contract extension, which has the advantage of allowing James to retire as a Purple and Gold player. So will Lao Zhan be willing to stay? After several years of unsuccessful championships, will he consider retiring?
In fact, all the current information is summed up, and Lao Zhan's renewal of the Lakers is a high probability event. Marc Stein said that Lao Zhan will renew his contract, but it is a question of whether to exercise the player option. If executed, the next year's contract is $51.4 million, then the renewal price is $112.9 million for two years. If he completes this contract, he will be 42 years old, becoming the oldest player in NBA history, and his historical status can even match that of Michael Jordan.
When Lao Zhan is 42 years old, Thick Mei is also 34 years old, and it is estimated that he will also be at the age of signing the last contract with the highest salary. If Lao Zhan chooses to renew his contract, the Lakers will still be a championship-level team in the next three years. Of course, with Zhan Mei's performance alone, it is difficult to fight out of the west. Take this year's playoffs as an example, Lao Zhan and Thick Eyebrows are no different, and Thick Eyebrows' performance even far exceeds expectations, but they only get one victory in the hands of the Nuggets. As a result, the Lakers need a star who can raise the ceiling.
The good news is that the Lakers have a number of players whose contracts expire this summer, including Russell, Hayes, Reddish and others, and the Lakers can pick new pieces of the championship puzzle on the free agent market.
Previously, the Lakers had been rumored to want the Hawks' Dejounte Murray. In fact, the two sides have talked many times, but it is always almost meaningful, Russell + first-round replacement of Murray is not too competitive, if you add Reaves Lakers feel too much loss, so it has been delayed.
But there is now news that Trae Young will be a target for the Lakers this summer. For the Hawks, although Blowing Young is an All-Star level, he has poor outside defense, and he has been super ghost in many games this season, coupled with a sluggish performance in the playoffs, there is indeed a possibility of being traded. When Murray led the team, he even reversed the league's No. 1 Celtics by 30 points, and also contributed many stunners, and if he rebuilt around Murray, it would be a better choice.
If Trae Young can join the Lakers, it will indeed raise the team's ceiling, but there are also pros and cons to consider.
On the offensive end, Trae Young was unambiguous. Trae Young played in 54 games for the Hawks this season, averaging 25.7 points and 10.8 assists per game, shooting 43.0%/37.3%/85.5% from three, and 58.5% true shooting;
But on the defensive end, he is a 10,000-strong man, with a lot of turnovers and poor defense, and although he can hand over beautiful statistics in a large number of games, he can also be infinitely targeted in a series. Reeves + Trae Young's backcourt will be blown up.
If Jeanie Buss can be as willing to spend money as Ballmer or Lacob, there will be stars willing to vote. The factor in Lao Zhan's contract renewal is also to consider whether the Lakers are sincere in bringing in reinforcements when they win the championship.
Overall, Lao Zhan's renewal of the Lakers is a high probability event, but it is not ruled out that he will return to his hometown Cavaliers. Analyst Timothy Legler made it clear on "Get Up" that if James wants to continue to win the championship, it is better to go to the Eastern team than to be in the Western team, and the Eastern team has less competitive pressure, and the 76ers and Knicks are alternatives.