Beijing time on June 22, according to the latest news from NBA reporter Michael Scott, The Los Angeles Lakers will implement Stanley Johnson's player option and continue to play for the Lakers next season, which is worth mentioning. Unfortunately, the Lakers signed Johnson on a ten-day short contract to try their luck. Unexpectedly, this young player brought a surprise to the management. Then the Lakers did not hesitate to sign a two-year contract with John. contract, and in the 21-22 season, Johnson was recognized by the head coach, averaging up to 22.8 minutes of playing time per game, and can get 6.7 points + 3.2 rebounds + 1.9 assists. He is an indispensable blade on the Lakers bench. Considering that the team's salary space is limited and there are few young players, the management decided to execute Johnson's $2.35 million team option. With Johnson staying on the team, it means that he is the first person from the Lakers to be executed by the team.
But having said that, Johnson's strength is limited after all, and winning the championship is the Lakers' ultimate goal. Considering that Westbrook will implement the player option, the Lakers have not given up the intention of trading Westbrook, even though the new head coach has taken office. Later, he immediately said that Westbrook is the indispensable core of the team. In the new season, he will focus on defense and organization. However, the Lakers management does not think so, because Westbrook has failed in the past season. The performance was very poor, which disappointed the management. It was believed that Westbrook and James were not compatible, so as soon as the season ended, the management tried to send Westbrook away, but there were very few teams interested in Westbrook. It can be seen that Westbrook is no longer the Westbrook of the past, and the Lakers are still the Lakers of the past. Therefore, under two different environments, Westbrook is put on the trading shelf again and again.
Recently, according to the latest news from ESPN reporter Jonathan Givony, the Lakers are willing to use Westbrook, Tucker and a 2026 first-round pick to offer the Pacers Malcolm Brogdon , which is worth checking out. What I want to mention is that Brogden averaged 19.1 points + 5.9 assists + 5.1 rebounds per game last season, and he still has the last three years of his $67 million contract. As early as last season, the Pacers began to rebuild. They also sent Sabonis away, and put many core members on the trade shelf during the offseason. Therefore, in order to send Westbrook away, the Lakers added two more additions on this basis, hoping to impress the Pacers. Management, but because the Pacers have young guards like Haliburton, they are not interested in Westbrook, which also caused the Lakers' 3-for-1 offer to be rejected. The main reason is that Westbrook's burden is unfavorable to the Pacers during the reconstruction period, so he was rejected. Although the Pacers intend to trade Brogdon, the target is definitely not the Lakers, but the Pacers' 67 million The husband has already begun to be robbed.
What’s important is that the Pacers not only want young players with potential, but also high-quality future draft picks. For veteran players like Westbrook who are about to turn 34, they are naturally not considered. In addition to Brogdon, Mai Les Turner has also been put on the trading shelf, and the Lakers can only watch these outstanding players being sent to other teams. It is worth mentioning that James has not renewed his contract so far. It is putting pressure on the management, hoping to strengthen it in the offseason. If nothing happens, James will also leave. I wonder what readers think? Everyone is welcome to comment in the message area!
