The Lakers completed a trade in the late hours of Beijing time tonight, ultimately trading away Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Finney-Smith and Milton. This trade is considered very profitable for the Lakers, as Russell's role on the team has become quite minimal. Trading Russell for two 3D players is seen as an absolutely perfect move for the Lakers.
With Finney-Smith and Milton joining the Lakers, how will Redick reorganize the lineup? This is something many fans are curious about. Both players can be heavily utilized upon joining the Lakers, with Finney-Smith even having the potential to enter the starting lineup. So, which player should be benched from the starting lineup?
Many are considering whether to move Hachimura to the bench, as his lateral speed on defense is slow, and his three-point shooting efficiency is not as good as Finney-Smith's. However, if Hachimura is benched, there may be a significant decline in his performance, as such instances have occurred before. Therefore, it appears that Finney-Smith is likely to replace Christie in the starting lineup.
On the bench, one player is likely to be benched, and that is Reddish. Compared to Reddish, Milton has a higher three-point accuracy and excellent defensive capabilities. As a result, Reddish's playing time should be very limited. Redick is not a coach who likes to excessively expand the rotation, and currently, Christie's performance is also outstanding. Considering his development, it is necessary to ensure Christie's playing time. This will make the Lakers' rotation very crowded, causing them to experience the happy trouble of having too many options.
For the Lakers, their resources at the forward position are already very rich, even to the point of being overly abundant. Therefore, they must make some choices. Although the Lakers have completed this important trade, many fans still believe they should continue to strengthen the team, as the interior remains weak. The Lakers should try to acquire a backup center for Davis, which would alleviate the pressure on Davis, as he is the backbone of the Lakers. If Davis gets injured, all the Lakers' efforts could go to waste. No matter how much reinforcement is done at the forward position, it cannot replace the impact of Davis alone on the court. It's unclear what the fans think about this.