On December 3rd, Beijing time, the Lakers traded for Smith, not only failing to profit but incurring significant losses? The No. 1 commentator, Suqun, revealed the reason, stating that Valanciunas will no longer be joining.
After the Lakers completed a blockbuster trade, officially acquiring Finney Smith and Milton, many believed the Lakers had made a great deal. Finney Smith is an incredibly skilled player with strong fighting ability, undoubtedly a top-tier 3D player. Previously, championship contenders like the Grizzlies and Mavericks were pursuing him, given his 43% three-point shooting accuracy and defensive capabilities from the 1st to the 5th position.
Although he isn't particularly adept at dribbling, it's unnecessary when playing alongside LeBron, as James will pass all the balls to him. He just needs to hit those open three-pointers and play defense. Now that this move has been completed, everyone believes the Lakers have made a huge profit. However, there is a differing opinion from Suqun, the No. 1 commentator in Chinese basketball.
Suqun stated that while Finney Smith's arrival certainly strengthens the Lakers' defense, it also comes with significant luxury tax pressure. More importantly, with Smith's arrival, Valanciunas will no longer be joining, according to Suqun, which could mean the Lakers are actually losing out.
Suqun's view is that since Smith's arrival, the Lakers want to strengthen their defense, but they are also under considerable luxury tax pressure. Smith's contract is 55millionover4years,withonly14.92 million in salary this season, while Russell's salary this year is 18.7million.Therefore,bytradingRussellaway,theLakerssavedafull15 million in luxury tax. Hence, Suqun believes that saving money is the reason behind the Lakers' operation.
Moreover, Suqun openly declared that Big Valanciunas will not join the Lakers. Why did he make this prediction? He believes it may be because the biggest bargaining chip, Russell, has already been traded away. Without Russell, it's challenging to trade for Valanciunas, as there aren't many other assets available. Unless the Lakers let go of Reeves, which is highly unlikely due to his recent excellent form.
But without Russell, who can match Big Valanciunas' contract? Suqun also pointed out that the Lakers might think that after Hayes and Vanderbeil return, the crisis in the frontcourt can be resolved. Therefore, they chose to trade Russell for Finney Smith instead of Valanciunas, leading him to conclude that Valanciunas will not join the Lakers.
Big Valanciunas is an exceptional player, once scoring 23 points and grabbing 20 rebounds in a single game, achieving a super double-twenty performance. Therefore, if obtaining Finney Smith means that Valanciunas can no longer join, according to Suqun, the Lakers may not necessarily have made a profit, as they now lack someone to alleviate the pressure on Anthony Davis.