Lakers officially announced that hired Darwin Hamm as the team's head coach. According to Shams, the Lakers signed a four-year contract with Hamm. Ham has never had a head coaching experience, so the Lakers directly gave him a four-year contract, which shows their trust in him. But if Vogel is replaced by Hamm, can the Lakers return to the championship? I guess Pelinka doesn’t believe it either.
2 years ago, although Pelinka created a championship lineup for the Lakers, after winning the championship, Pelinka's series of operations completely dismantled the Lakers' championship lineup, making the Lakers' record worse year after year. There are still two superstars in the Lakers. James is always going strong, and and are still in their prime. If you build a team around them, they can still compete for the championship. Therefore, Lakers owner Jenny Buss also asked general manager Pelinka to create a new championship lineup for the team, but now the Lakers don’t have many chips, and the most valuable one is the 2027 first-round pick. With a first-round pick in 2029, if Pelinka wants to turn rotten things into something magical, he really needs some ingenuity.
However, since the command has been issued from above, Pelinka must execute it unconditionally. According to US media reports, Pelinka is also trying his best to create a new championship lineup for the Lakers. For these chips of the Lakers, excellent players cannot be exchanged, and they can only put their hopes on some controversial players. According to the American media "Los Angeles Times", the Lakers are likely to reach a deal during the offseason. The specific transaction method is that the Lakers will send Horton Tucker, Nunn, , and the 2027 first-round pick to the Rockets. wood.
The Lakers' set of chips itself is not very competitive. During last year's mid-season trade, the Lakers tried to use this lineup to change the entire league, but no team dared to take over. A year ago, Horton-Tucker's trade value was still very high, and the Lakers also gave him a three-year, 32 million contract. But around James, even Westbrook didn't know how to play, and Horton Tucker was even more at a loss. Poor performance this season has caused Horton-Tucker's trade value to plummet. Although Horton-Tucker's wingspan is at the same level as Leonard , his golf IQ is too low, and his slow lateral speed also makes him untenable on the defensive end. In the final analysis, he has not become a star. Strength.
As for Nunn, the Lakers signed him to a very high-quality contract, because Nunn's offense is very good. Although his figure is not outstanding, his scoring ability can be regarded as relatively good. However, Nunn has never been able to play due to injuries. Opportunity to play for the Lakers. The Lakers signed a two-year contract with Nunn. After a year of recuperation with injuries in the Lakers, no one knows what Nunn's return status will be. Therefore, although Nunn's contract is not large, his transaction value is not high and can only play a role in balancing salary. The Lakers really don't want to sign the first-round pick in 2027, but there is no way. If they don't send this first-round pick, it will be too difficult for the Lakers to reach a deal.
Wood is known as a ball-blind identifier. Although his statistics are very good, his level is average and his influence on the game is very little. The Lakers can be regarded as Sima's doctor, locking up space in Westbrook. Under such circumstances, immediate combat power can only be traded through these methods. Of course, Wood is still good, especially as an inside player, his three-point shooting percentage reached 37%, which is much better than Tucker . His biggest problem is defense, but the Lakers' overall defense can slightly cover up his shortcomings. , which is why the Lakers traded him.
The inside combination of Big Eyebrow + Wood is also quite interesting. James joins forces with Wood and Big Eyebrow, and the future of the new Big Three is promising. As for Westbrook, the Lakers may keep Westbrook for further observation. If Westbrook still cannot perform, then at the trade deadline next season, Westbrook will have no choice but to accept the fate of leaving.
