The Lakers acquired Beverley through a trade. This move is really intriguing, because the grievances between Beverley and Westbrook are well known. The two of them have always been enemies when they met, but now they are put together on the same team, not for Westbrook. Isn’t it fun to find less?
Although Beverley came to the Lakers and stated that he had written off his grievances against Westbrook and hoped that Westbrook would return to his peak form, this could not hide the fact that Westbrook was no longer suitable to stay in the Lakers. The reason why the Lakers introduced Beverley is nothing more than that he is more suitable for partnering with James and Davis, regardless of Westbrook’s preferences, and directly exchanged for Beverley, who is at odds with him. It also conveys the attitude of the Lakers – Westbrook, if you stay Not used to it, you can go!
Westbrook could have walked away this offseason, but no one could bear the $47 million salary. Westbrook made a very realistic decision. After all, with his current level of competition, he can no longer get so much money…
Westbrook should think about his own way out, because he is also in the contract year, and the Lakers are definitely not willing to continue to cooperate with Westbrook, and will consider reducing his tactical status and marginalizing Westbrook in the new season. However, the contract year Westbrook must maintain and improve the competition in preparation for his next contract.
Then, there is only one way Westbrook can go, and that is to leave the Lakers.
The Lakers are also happy to see Westbrook leave Los Angeles, because they don’t need Westbrook now, and even Westbrook’s existence is a burden to the Lakers, because it’s hard to get Westbrook to play a positive role, and putting him on the bench, and he is a burden to the Lakers. It will affect the atmosphere of the locker room. It is better to simply send him away and exchange for some useful role players.
However, how to send Westbrook away is also a big problem. With the current salary situation of the Lakers, they can’t directly lay off Westbrook. They can only send Westbrook away through trade. However, there are only a handful of teams in the league that can accept Westbrook’s 47 million contract…
Only the Pacers and Spurs, who are at the bottom of the salary cap, have room to receive Westbrook. However, if they want them to do this, the Lakers must show enough sincerity to hand over the draft picks.
The Spurs can match Westbrook’s salary with McDermott and Josh Richardson, but those two players are a little too small for the Lakers. The Pacers may be the most suitable negotiating target for the Lakers, because they also want to send away a big contract like Hield, and the Pacers can also use Hield for Westbrook, as long as the Lakers have enough draft rights. .
For Westbrook, he should also actively promote the trade with the Lakers, because in this way he can reverse the embarrassment of his declining career.
Staying in the Lakers has been unable to allow him to achieve a rebound in his personal competitive state, because there are people who are pressing him everywhere, and he should seek to join the Spurs or the Pacers. Although these rotten teams do not need Westbrook to improve their combat effectiveness, they are. There is another special demand for Westbrook – the Spurs and Pacers can cut Westbrook through a deferral clause, spread the salary of 47 million to the next 3 years, and become a placeholder for salary space to help them Fill in the poor line.
When Westbrook becomes a free agent and can accept a mid-level or minimum salary contract, his choice will suddenly become clear.
If Westbrook can join a team that lacks a point guard and can play to his strengths, like the Wizards did, fans will be able to see the famous scene of the return of the Turtles again, right?
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