The first round of the draft has come to an end, and there have been some unexpected options, some perceived leaks, and a number of teams have made deals with draft picks. The Los Angeles Lakers' lack of a trade in the first round of the draft, a team deemed in need of a trade reinforcement, is somewhat surprising, but considering they were able to select top scorer from the University of Tennessee with the 17th pick, Knecott (originally expected to be the sixth pick in the first round), it was a smooth miss for the Lakers. Whether the Lakers use it as an instant force or a potential trade, there is some value in what follows. Goodbye Lakers, the departure is finalized, the essence is exposed, you really can't meet the requirements of the Purple and Gold Army.
For the Lakers, it is definitely good news to be able to take Kneckett with the 17th pick, because the rookie is not only the top name of the University of Tennessee, but also the 3-and-D wing that all teams crave, and more importantly, Knecot is also very good in the crazy three, and he has the attributes of a big heart. In the NCAA career, Knecot's overall performance was stable, and the crazy three knockout rounds were also not soft, and Knecot's joining had a certain connection with another news from the Lakers. After the draft began, it was revealed that their core point guard, D'Angelo Russell, who had played the final game of his Lakers career, would be leaving the team.
According to a report from Lakers reporter Anthony Irving, sources revealed that if Russell chooses to exercise his $18.6 million player option for next season, the Lakers will trade him away as a chip. And if Russell is unwilling to exercise his player option for next season, then he is expected to choose to leave rather than return to the Lakers. In Irving's words, the Lakers are ready for Russell to leave without exercising his contract, and even if Russell accidentally exercises his player option, the Lakers will initiate a trade and send him away. To put it bluntly, either way, whether Russell exercises his player option for next season or not, he's going to leave the Lakers. The cooperation between the two sides has come to an end.
When I saw this news, to be honest, most Lakers fans hardly had any turmoil in their hearts, and this is where Russell's failure lies. Remember that last offseason, although Russell averaged only 6 points and 4 assists per game, a disastrous performance, and Lakers fans criticized and even abused him in various ways, most people still hoped that Russell could stay when faced with the issue of contract extension. On the one hand, if Russell leaves, then the Lakers will really let him go for nothing (unless you sign and trade, but it will trigger the hard salary cap), on the other hand, at least Russell has no problem playing in the regular season, and fans also want to keep him in the regular season and consider a trade at the right opportunity.
As a result, it is clear to everyone that Russell's mentality collapsed during the regular season, and the Lakers' overall performance in the first half of the season was average. The point is that even if Russell finds his rhythm, the Lakers won't be able to send him away before the trade deadline. At that time, the Lakers wanted to trade Russell and their 2029 first-round pick for the Hawks' Dejounte Murray, but the Hawks had to Reaves, and other teams were reluctant to take Russell's two-year contract. To put it bluntly, Russell's two-year contract with an average annual salary of less than 20 million is difficult to send away draft picks, and if the Lakers continue to renew his contract, they can only keep him to play in the regular season, and there is no way to trade and strengthen him next. And when it comes to the playoffs, Russell is not worth looking forward to.
In the past two years, the Lakers have also seen Russell's situation clearly, his poor defense is a fact, and his attendance is not so stable, the only thing he can do is offense, but the efficiency can only be maintained in the regular season, and he can't count on it once it comes to the playoffs. Moreover, even in the regular season, once trade rumors arise, Russell can easily break down. There are rumors about the Lakers, and I believe fans are well aware that even if the Lakers do not negotiate with other teams, media reporters will have all kinds of conjectures, which is inevitable to play in the Lakers. Since Russell can't handle this, his value will continue to decrease. To put it bluntly, Russell is now tasteless for the Lakers, and it is not a pity to abandon it.
It seems that the Lakers hired Redick and left the first-round pick to select young people, and in the words of fans, they are getting farther and farther away from the championship. But in reality, the Lakers' two cores, James and Thick Eyebrows, are both aiming for a championship, and they want to see the team's reinforcement attitude, and at the same time see the possibility of the Lakers competing for a championship. As far as the championship is concerned, Russell's trait that will inevitably be lost in the playoffs dooms him not to be the Lakers' choice, and even for the future, Russell's personality and other leadership qualities are also not up to the Lakers' standards.