According to NBA famous reporter Woj, the Lakers obtained this year's No. 35 pick in exchange. The Lakers sent a future second-rounder and some cash to get the No. 35 pick in this year's draft from to the Magic. The 2-for-1 deal was concluded, and the Lakers received a second-round pick in this year's draft, and it was a very high second-round pick. After the Lakers traded the No. 35 pick, there are only four teams left without draft picks this year, namely: Nets , Mavericks , Suns and Jazz .
Lakers team reporter Mike Trudell revealed the players selected by the Lakers with similar picks over the years: Nance Jr. was selected with the 27th overall pick in 2015, Zubac was selected with the 32nd overall pick in 2016, , and Zubac was selected with the 27th overall pick in 2017. Kuzma was selected with the 27th pick in 2017, Joe Hart was selected with the 27th pick in 2017, Bryant was selected with the 42nd pick in 2017, and Wagner was selected with the 25th pick in 2018.
Of course, a No. 35 pick cannot turn the Lakers from a team ranked 11th in the Western Conference into a championship contending team. Not to mention the No. 35 pick, even if the Lakers are given the No. 1 pick, the Lakers will not become a championship team. No matter how talented a rookie is, it will take time to develop. What the Lakers need is immediate combat power, players who can help the team win immediately.
The Lakers and Irving are getting closer and closer. According to US media reports, James and Irving have completed their meeting, and the two sides seem to be discussing the prospect of reuniting with the Lakers. James and Irving worked together for three years in the Cavaliers, reaching the Finals for three consecutive years and defeating the 73-win Warriors in 2016 to win the championship. According to statistics, Irving's winning rate was as high as 72.1% when partnering with James. After leaving James, Irving's winning rate was only 47.7%. After leaving James, Irving played for the Celtics and Nets, and worked with stars such as Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Durant, and Harden.
Sources revealed that if Irving cannot reach a contract extension with the Nets, he already has a list of next companies he hopes to join on a sign-and-trade basis. The list is: Lakers, Clippers , Knicks , Heat , Mavericks and 76ers. None of the five teams on the list has the salary space to directly sign Irving with a high salary. If you want to get Irving, you need to sign first and then trade. But there is another way, which is for Irving to give up his $37 million player option for next season and sign with other teams at a low salary. If Irving signs with the Lakers, Irving will only receive a maximum of 6.4 million, requiring him to give up more than $30 million.
celebrity A-Smith talked about this on the show. He expressed doubts about whether Irving would do this: "What I want to say is, Kyrie Irving , you give me a try. You are a principled person. Wrong? If you give up an annual salary of 37 million US dollars out of principle and try to sign a mid-level contract with the Lakers, I doubt it."
The famous reporter Shams reported that Duran is increasingly likely to leave the Nets. Te also began to seriously consider his future with the Nets. In previous offseasons, Durant would actively participate in the team's recruitment and retention of free agents, but Durant did not do so this offseason. Durant is paying close attention to the Nets' operations and will consider his future options based on the results. Nets player Mills has not yet decided whether to exercise his player option worth $6.2 million for next season. He will also decide his future based on the Nets' operations.
US media StatMuse revealed the Rockets' first-round signings in the next few years and said that if the Nets' performance declines, the Rockets may become the biggest beneficiaries. The Rockets own the Nets' first-round picks in years 24 and 26, and the right to swap first-round picks in years 23, 25, and 27. In other words, if the Nets perform poorly in the next five years, the Rockets will be the beneficiaries.
The US media also reported some news about this year’s championship Warriors. This year's finals and subsequent championship parade created history by generating 2 billion video views on NBA social networks. This playback volume increased by 19% compared to 2021, 45% increased compared to 2020, and 56% increased compared to 2019.Among them, videos related to library have been played 357 million times.
