I'm not afraid to compare goods, I'm afraid of not knowing the goods.
PJ Washington, who has been in the Hornets for four and a half years, is almost unknown, and the Mavericks are almost known in the league in less than half a year.
The style of play is still the same way of playing, it is nothing more than the fact that the Lone Ranger has more exposure than the Hornets.
In the playoffs, PJ Washington averaged 13.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. For comparison, Reaves averaged 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Considering that PJ Washington is worth a first-round pick (in the middle of the season, the Mavericks traded PJ Washington from the Hornets for the first two protected first-round picks in 27 years). Well, to a large extent, Reeves is also worth a first-rounder.
Meanwhile, after the Pelicans decided to take the Lakers in the 25-year first-rounder, the latter had three first-round picks in the draft that could be traded in '24, '29 and '31.
Three first-rounders + Reeves, in short, four first-rounders. Looking at it this way, the Lakers can trade a star or even a superstar this summer.
Here's a good case study.
In the '22 offseason, the Cavaliers traded Markkanen, Sexton, rookie Abaki, four first-rounders (three unprotected, one swap) from the Jazz to trade Donovan Mitchell.
On the cards, Mitchell is certainly not as big as Durant, but at the same time he is higher than All-Stars like LaVine and Ingram. In other words, somewhere between supergiants and all-stars.
As I said, the Lakers have three first-round picks to trade this summer, and Reaves is worth one. In addition, if you wish, you can set the first round of '26, '28, '30 as a swap. Looking at it this way, the inside and outside are about equal to seven first-rounders.
Now that you have the reinforcement chips, what about the reinforcement goals?
Judging from the available news, Trae Young, Murray, LaVine, Mitchell and others are all likely to leave the team. Considering the potential rebuilding possibilities of the Hawks and Bulls, the Lakers are still very likely to get a star.
Of course, it seems to me that no matter which star the Lakers get, the Lakers are going to rise.
First of all, at the end of the regular season, thick eyebrows were selected for the second team and the first defense; James was named to the three-team team. Therefore, Zhan Mei is still the most dominant duo in the league.
Secondly, the attendance rate of Zhan Mei in the regular season is not less than 85%.
To sum up the above two points, Zhan Mei can still keep the Lakers well. As for the upper handicap, it depends on Zhan Mei + the third star.
Take Mitchell, for example.
Ranked 6th in the league in points per game in the playoffs. In addition, he averaged 16.2 breakthroughs per game and shot 55.8% from the field. This shows that it has a good ability to tackle tough problems and work under pressure. Therefore, it can share the pressure of Zhan Mei to a large extent.
From another point of view, Mitchell can also attract the center of gravity of the defense, so the defensive intensity that Zhan Mei faces is reduced. The result is efficiency gains and fewer injuries.
Of course, rising doesn't mean winning championships. It's much better than this season. And this season the Lakers fell in the first round of the playoffs.