Today, upon waking up, both the Lakers and the Suns have completed their trades, and now Chun Chun will provide you with a summary.
Firstly, let's talk about the Lakers. The Lakers have signed a two-way contract with former Pelicans center Trey Jamison while simultaneously waiving their previous two-way contract player, Olivari.
Olivari played 2 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 1.5 points. In the South Bay Lakers, he played 13 games, averaging 17.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. It is expected that Olivari will attract interest from other teams in the free agent market.
Although Trey Jamison had little playing time with the Pelicans and could be considered a bench player, Jamison excels at rebounding and is a typical blue-collar power forward. Recently, the Lakers have been repeatedly out-rebounded by opponents, and Jamison can precisely address the Lakers' weakness in rebounding. Jamison indeed adds some depth to the Lakers' frontcourt.
Jamison is 25 years old, stands at 2 meters 11 centimeters tall, weighs 117 kilograms, and has averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds over his career's 41 games. This season, he played 16 games for the Pelicans, averaging 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds (1.4 offensive rebounds).
Whoever said the Lakers were lacking a center, now the Lakers have accumulated a total of five centers! Please don't say the Lakers don't have a center anymore.
Moving on to the Suns' trade, the Hornets traded Richards and a second-round pick to the Suns in exchange for Okeke and three second-round picks!
According to sources, the Suns gave up their own 2031 second-round pick, as well as two second-round picks from the Nuggets in 2026 and 2031, in return for a 2025 second-round pick.
Richards stands at 2 meters 13 centimeters tall, weighs 111 kilograms, and plays as a center. This season, Richards has been a hot commodity. He played 21 games for the Hornets, starting 9 times, averaging 11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.
According to statistics, Richards has had a shooting percentage of 65% over the past four seasons, ranking fifth in the NBA during the same period (at least 800 attempts). Averaging 8.9 points and 7.5 rebounds, he started in 9 games, averaging 11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.
ESPN's data shows that his shooting percentage over the past four seasons has been 65%, ranking fifth in the NBA during this period (at least 800 attempts). Isn't this center just too good?
Not only did the Suns acquire a quality center, but they also saved a significant amount of money. Chun Chun calculated it for you: Okeke's annual salary is 8.25 million, while Richards' is 5 million. Before the trade, the Suns' total salary exceeded 220 million, with a luxury tax bill of 184.2 million dollars. After the trade, the luxury tax dropped to 164.3 million dollars, saving a full 20 million dollars.
Why didn't the Lakers try to get such a high-quality center? The reason is:
The Hornets already have a pile of draft picks in 2025, while the Lakers can only trade their Lakers and Clippers draft picks in 2025. This is not very attractive to the Hornets.
Finally, fans, what score would you give to the Lakers and Suns' trades? Can they climb out of the mire?