Shams: The Lakers are willing to trade three first-round picks.
It's rare that the Lakers have finally come to their senses; I thought they were really planning to keep their first-round picks for future drafts?
Look how happy James is, he's even doing a little dance to celebrate... It feels so familiar, be careful not to receive a lawyer's letter.
In fact, the Lakers weren't unwilling to use their picks before; they once offered Westbrook and two first-round picks for Irving, but were rejected by the Nets.
The Nets' asking price for Irving was Westbrook, Reeves, Christie, two first-round picks, and a pick swap, which the Lakers didn't agree to.
To get back on track, the Lakers plan to use three first-round picks to acquire a player who can play alongside LeBron and Davis and also participate in Redick's coaching system in the next 3-5 years.
Simply put, the Lakers want a young star. In the current league, there seem to be only two players who meet this condition and can be poached: former Klutch Sports client Trae Young and current client De'Aaron Fox...
Netizens are most enthusiastic about the Lakers trading for Fox.
But what the Lakers want may not align with the netizens' opinions. They previously showed strong interest in Trae Young, but they don't seem very interested in De'Aaron Fox, who is now planning to leave the Kings, and we haven't even seen any reliable rumors about the two parties.
Trae Young (26 years old) is younger than De'Aaron Fox (27 years old), has stronger leadership abilities, and his scoring ability is not to be underestimated. This season, he averages 22 points and 12.1 assists per game, with a career-high of 29.6 points per game in a single season. In his seven seasons with the Hawks, he led them to the playoffs three times, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals once.
As for De'Aaron Fox, he averages 26.2 points, 5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game this season, with a career-high of 26.6 points per game in a single season. In his eight seasons with the Kings, he has only made it to the playoffs once, getting eliminated in the first round.
So between Trae Young and De'Aaron Fox, which one is more sought after? I believe not only the Lakers, but many teams would have the same answer.
It's just that the Hawks are not very willing to sell Trae Young right now, while the Kings are willing to discuss De'Aaron Fox's future.
Regardless, let's hope that the Lakers' claim of trading three first-round picks is not all talk and no action, and that they really bring in a star to team up with LeBron and Davis to try blowing the wind at the top of the mountain again!