http://psce.pw/52q7q7
作者:Jovan Buha
Lakers NBA Draft intel: Options for No. 17, and why a trade is increasingly
possible
湖人NBA選秀消息:17順位籤的選項與為何交易可能性逐漸增加
The first domino of the Lakers’ offseason is Thursday’s NBA Draft, when Los
Angeles will have a pivotal opportunity to bolster their roster ahead of free
agency.
The Lakers have the No. 17 and 47 picks, but there has been a growing buzz in
recent days that the Lakers, more likely than not, will trade their pick,
whether it’s moving up, down or out of the draft altogether, multiple team
sources not authorized to speak publicly told The Athletic.
What are their various options? Let’s take a look.
湖人休賽季的第一張骨牌將會是星期四的NBA選秀，湖人將會有一個決定性的機會來在自由
市場開市前強化他們的陣容。
湖人現在有17順位與47順位，但根據內線指出近期湖人看起來越來越有可能會交易他們的
選秀權，無論是向上換、向下換或是直接離開選秀會。
有甚麼選項呢?我們現在來看看。
1. Keep the No. 17 pick
A few weeks ago, the Lakers were leaning toward keeping their pick. But there
has been an increasing buzz in recent days that the Lakers are now more
likely to deal their pick to leverage a golden opportunity to improve the
roster on draft night, those team sources said.
In the scenario that they stand pat and keep the No. 17 pick, the Lakers’
decade-long track record suggests they’ll find a useful player. The Lakers’
scouting department, spearheaded by assistant general manager and co-owner
Jesse Buss, and vice president of research and development and co-owner Joey
Buss, is one of the best in the league. They have found underrated talent at
all points of the draft.
It’s a delicate balance, but the Lakers can potentially find a player who
can contribute right away, but also develop into a core piece of the future.
They have been consistently linked to five names in recent weeks: Kobe
Bufkin, Dereck Lively II, Jett Howard, Nick Smith Jr. and Noah Clowney. All
five players are projected to go anywhere from the No. 10 pick to the early
20s. Howard, the 6-foot-7 Michigan wing, is projected to go No. 17 in Sam
Vecenie’s latest mock draft for The Athletic.
1.自用
幾周前，湖人傾向把這些選秀權自用。但近期湖人看起來越來越有可能利用交易這些選秀
權來強化他們的陣容。
在他們自用的強況下，根據湖人過去10年的選秀史他們一定能找到有用的球員。由助理GM
與共同擁有者Jesse Buss與球員發展與研究總監同時也是共同擁有者Joey Buss所領導的球
探部門是聯盟中的頂尖。他們從選秀的各個位置都能找到被低估的天賦。
這是一個微妙的平衡，湖人可能可以找到可以立即做出貢獻的球員，但也可以找到未來的
核心之一。湖人這幾周常常與五個名字連結在一起:Kobe Bufkin、Dereck Lively II、
Jett Howard、Nick Smith Jr.與Noah Clowney。這五個球員都被預測將會在第10順位置20
順位錢辦這個區間挑走。根據Sam Vecenie的模擬選秀，湖人將會在第17順位選入Jett
Howard這名來自密西根大學的6'7"側翼。
2. Combine the pick with salary filler to upgrade the rotation
The Lakers have until June 29 to decide on whether to exercise Malik Beasley’
s $16.5 million team option and guarantee Mo Bamba’s $10.3 million
non-guaranteed contract. The primary value in exercising Beasley’s option
and guaranteeing Bamba’s salary, aside from potentially keeping one or both
players, is to trade the two players and their combined $26.8 million salary
for another rotation player or two. Ideally, such a trade would yield a
starter that can seamlessly plug in next to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and
Austin Reaves, a restricted free agent the Lakers are expecting to retain.
(Though there has been no formal announcement yet, the Lakers continue to
operate as if James will be back next season, despite him hinting at the
possibility of retirement in a news conference following the Lakers’
season-ending Game 4 defeat to Denver in the West finals.)
The framework of a deal would likely involve Beasley, Bamba and the No. 17
pick getting exchanged for a starter-level player. The Lakers could also
execute a smaller deal with only one of Beasley or Bamba, plus, potentially,
the pick. Names around the league that have been linked to the Lakers in
recent weeks include Indiana’s Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, Brooklyn’s
Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr. and
Washington’s Kristaps Porziis, according to multiple league sources not
authorized to speak publicly.
If the Lakers make a trade on draft night, it’s possibly a signal that they’
re again using “pre-agency” – a term that Lakers vice president of
basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka coined at the trade
deadline — in place of retaining some of their own free agents. The salaries
of James, Davis, whoever they get back from a Beasley and Bamba deal, Jarred
Vanderbilt (the Lakers will guarantee his $4.6 million contract) and Max
Christie add up to roughly $120 million. That’s before factoring in the
likely re-signings of Reaves and Rui Hachimura (projected to be an additional
$26 to $30 million in salary for next season), and the potential re-signings
of D’Angelo Russell, Dennis Schröder and Lonnie Walker IV.
In the blink of an eye, the Lakers’ team salary could be pushing past $170
million with just eight or nine players on their roster. Add in at least four
more players, if not five or six, and the Lakers would cross the dreaded
second apron line (a projected $179.5 million). While the Lakers will likely
have to remain above the luxury tax, if not above the first apron, going
above the second apron has serious roster-building drawbacks on top of the
additional cost per dollar.
One way the Lakers can lower their tax bill is replacing Russell, who is
expected to command a salary in the $20-million-range annually, with Chris
Paul on a veteran’s minimum contract (approximately $3.0 million). But Paul
being traded to the Washington Wizards, in a two-team trade that isn’t
official yet and could expand to a third team, potentially complicates his
future. The Clippers, whether via trade or free agency, are projected as a
slight favorites to land Paul over the Lakers, according to league sources
not authorized to speak publicly.
This is the most likely outcome if the Lakers are committed to going all-in
again, as they did ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.
2.結合選秀權與薪資包來升級陣容
湖人在29號之前要對Malik Beasley 16.5M的球隊選項與Mo Bamba的10.3M非保障合約做出
抉擇。執行Beasley的選項並保障Bamba的合約除了可以讓湖人確保1-2名輪替以外，他們還
可以將他們兩人合計26.8M的薪資打包來換回1或2名輪替。理想狀況下，這樣的交易將能給
湖人帶來1名可以無縫接軌LeBron James、Anthony Davis與Austin Reaves(湖人預計會留
下的RFA)的先發球員。
(雖然LBJ曾經在湖人被淘汰的記者會上暗示自己想退休，但是即使沒有正式公布，湖人仍
然在操作上預設LBJ將會在下一季回歸。)
Beasley、Bamba與17號籤是其中一個有可能拿來交易先發等級球員的交易框架。或者是使
用僅包含這兩個其中之一與可能的籤所組成的包裹來進行更小型的交易。最近被說與湖人
有關的球員包含溜馬的Myles Turner與Buddy Hield、籃網的Dorian Finney-Smith與Royce
O'Neale、暴龍的Gary Trent Jr.、巫師的Kristaps Porzingis。
如果湖人在選秀夜上達成交易，Rob Pelinka可能就又用了他的"預先補強(我不確定怎麼翻
)"