Before the free market was about to open, the entire NBA seemed to be in chaos. Westbrook issued an application to Rockets to leave the team. Paul became a hot commodity for major teams. Even the first-class Ibaka was also treated as recruited by superstars. , but the defending champion Lakers did not participate in the competition for popular players. They secretly locked their target in another direction.
Recently, relevant reports said that the Spurs will completely enter the track of reconstruction. They are looking for the next home for Demar DeRozan and Lamarcus Aldridge , and the Lakers are very interested in getting DeRozan. Their trading chips include Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green , etc. In this way, the defending champions form the core team of the three giants of James + DeRozan + Davis Brother .
This transaction is actually very beneficial to the Lakers from the books. They cannot give Kuzma the ideal big contract, and it is only a matter of time to trade it. Danny Green's three-point shooting last season is really unsatisfactory. They are likely to become a stumbling block on the Lakers' road to defending their title. If they can switch to DeRozan, who is still at the peak, it will undoubtedly be a good thing to kill two birds with one stone.
DeRozan averaged 22.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game last season, with a shooting percentage of up to 53.1%, and his scoring efficiency even exceeded that of many inside players. 's characteristic is that his mid-range shooting is accurate and stable, but three-pointers are not one of his conventional weapons. His career outside shooting percentage is only 28.3%, which actually has certain conflicts and contradictions with the system that James has owned.
As we all know, James' basic style of play is to attract defensive double-teams after breakthrough to create shooting space for his teammates. Under this system, a large number of sword guards such as JR Smith, Korver and James Jones were born. Therefore, fans believe that a three-point shooter is one of James' standard features, and DeRozan is not the most preferred option for the Lakers to sign.
In fact, before DeRozan, Paul had a "scandal" with the Lakers. After all, he and James have been friends for many years. His game control ability and shooting skills can help the Lakers improve their chances of defending the title. However, Paul's annual salary of 40 million is indeed the biggest obstacle to the transaction, which means that the Lakers must pay a lot of chips, which will seriously damage the depth of the bench and future construction.
Although DeRozan is not as good as Paul in terms of comprehensive ability, his advantage lies in his down-to-earth playing field. While James reduces his offensive scenes, he can support the Lakers' backcourt scoring. When Azan was in the Raptors, he said "If we have James, we can win." . When he really has the opportunity to become teammates with James, he will definitely do his best and show 120% of his combat effectiveness.
From James' personal perspective, he also had some calculations in his heart. Although Paul or Westbrook did improve the ability index of the book lineup, objectively speaking, these two people actually have serious overlap with James in terms of functions. Paul's core value lies in controlling the field and shooting key balls. This is originally the role James plays. Westbrook's characteristic is that he is all-round and big-minded. It is also difficult to effectively complement James, which is not conducive to his grand plan to win more championships.
is different from DeRozan, who is good at mid-range shooting and singles, and his core abilities can make up for James' technical shortcomings. No matter how strong Davis Brother is, his main range of activities is still around the penalty area. When James needs to keep a low profile or be a commander with all his heart, DeRozan can stand up and fill the gap in the lack of outside singles ability and mid-range scoring.
Of course, the idea of introducing DeRozan is worthy of recognition, but the Lakers only give Kuzma, who is not yet successful and the older Green, may not be able to completely impress the experienced Spurs . They may also need to add some bargaining chips that are more in line with the interests of the other party.
No matter what, the Lakers are still taking the initiative in the free market. they can add to the roles that are urgently needed by the existing lineup, and they can retain the original championship team. is no surprise, and will definitely be one of the biggest winners in the offseason.
