(Translator’s note: The author of this article is the well-known American media TA reporter Zach Harper, the content of this article does not represent the translator and the platform’s views)
Maybe it’s a pity to miss Owen two days ago, but the Lakers are still playing a big role.
According to The first report of The Athletic Shams Charania, The Lakers have finalized a tripartite deal with Timberwolves and jazz, and The Zijin Legion will get Russell, Malik Beasley and Vanderbilt. Minnesota will get Conley, Alexander Walker and three round picks. Jazz’s harvest was Westbrook and the coveted first round of signing.
According to ESPN’s follow-up reports, the Lakers also sent Toscano Anderson and Damian Jones to Salt Lake City. The first round of signing they gave was the first four consecutive protection and would not be postponed.
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Fame: If the Lakers trigger the first round of protection in 27 years, Jazz will get the second round in 27 years & will not be postponed.
If the Jazz does not want to leave a vassal, or the latter is unwilling to serve Utah (currently, it is very likely), the two sides may reach a buyout agreement. Wei Shao will also become an unlimited free agent.
So what does this deal mean to the three parties involved? What kind of spark will Russell’s reunion with Los Angeles make? Now let’s take out the correction pen and give a score for all three parties.
Lakers get: Russell, Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley
Transaction rating: B
If Russell in your impression is still the point guard selected by the Lakers in the second place with unlimited prospects, or the future star who plays well in Brooklyn and is selected as an all-star, then my suggestion is, don’t hope too much, at least I will. Russell has been greedy in Timberwolves this season because he is in the contract year.
Russell’s personal data this season is quite good at first glance. He can get nearly 18 points and 6 assists per game, and the ratio of assists and mistakes is lower than 3.0. This year is still the highest season in his career field goal percentage, the real hit rate reached more than 60% for the first time in his career. Everything looks good, doesn’t it? However, the team’s record won’t lie. The real situation is that when Russell came out, Timberwolves became a failed Team. As long as he was away, Minnesota Wolves seemed to find the right way to win.
So far this season, when Russell came out, Timberwolves had a net victory of-1.3 points per hundred rounds. When he left, the team’s net victory of 100 rounds was divided into +4.1 points, which was a huge gap. And the most embarrassing part for this point guard is that whether he plays or not, the attacking efficiency of Timberwolves has hardly changed, but as long as Russell steps on the court, the defensive efficiency of Timberwolves will drop exponentially, and the gap of goal difference is also derived from this.
Of course, it must be unfair to blame Russell for all the problems. Of course, this will not be all his fault. I believe that no player will take the initiative to choose negative defense. However, data is the most ruthless and objective, and it always explains some problems.
After Russell returns to the Lakers, will his effect be the same? Maybe not, because Russell didn’t need to assume the role of master when James came out. Of course, he didn’t always master in Minnesota. The attack of Timberwolves was multipolar, there is no need for a core who to perform every round. When he came to the Lakers, Russell’s job was very simple. When James left for a rest, he had to take responsibility for attacking and organizing. When he and Zhan Mei appeared at the same time and they were Bag Clip, he needs to convert the chance of vacancy into score.
Basketball is very simple, as long as the score you get is higher than the score you lose, you can win. In Westbrook, the effect on the court was similar to Russell’s, which was negative (at least goal difference). Ham found a way to crack it-put Wei Xiao on the bench and let him serve as the sixth member of the team. Russell’s problem may not be that serious, and Ham doesn’t have to be so extreme, but Russell’s defensive efficiency is really worrying, and it may even be worse than less Wei, maybe it would be a good solution to let him partner with Beverly in the back court, and the performance of this combination in the Timberwolves last year was acceptable. However, Beverly himself is also struggling in Los Angeles this year.
Let’s talk about the Lakers’ other gains in this deal. In fact, I think this is the part of their lineup that has been upgraded. Vanderbilt is exactly the defensive player the Lakers need. Last season, he was an important part of the Timberwolves defense system, and he was also a very good rebounder and had certain ball holding ability in attack. On the defensive side, he has the ability to defend from one position to four. The key point is that his game style does not require the team to give him too much resources, and he does not need the ball right at all.
Beasley’s shooting feeling this season is not very good, but we all know that he has the ability in this field. Compared with his shooting performance in other years of his career, the half year in Salt Lake City seems to be only a temporary trough.
Beasley can not only play the first, but also become the main role in the rotation. Previously, the main rotating players on the flanks of the Lakers were Troy Brown, Anderson and Reeves. Compared with these three, Beasley and Vanderbilt are obviously much better. Even if Russell can’t contribute too much to the Lakers, other gains are enough to improve the Lakers’ combat power immediately.
For the Lakers who are committed to the playoffs, this deal is definitely a major upgrade, and the players who get the three playoff rotation levels will greatly strengthen their lineup depth. There is only one reason why I didn’t give a high score. The first round of signing sent by the Lakers may be priceless in the future, because the present and future of this team are full of unknowns.
Timberwolves got: the second round of Conley, Alexander Walker, Jazz in 2025 and 2026, and the lower round of wizards and grizzly bears in 2024
Transaction rating: A-
As long as Conley can keep healthy, this deal will definitely be a huge upgrade for Timberwolves’s guard position. But the problem is also in this “as long as”. Conley has missed 12 games this season due to injury. Last year’s number was 10, and the year before last was 21. Since the 13-14 season, Conley’s single-season absence due to injury has been in double digits. Conley is an old-fashioned control guard who is very stable at both ends of attack and defense, but his durability is really problematic. For the Timberwolves who have suffered from injuries this season, there is another “fragile”, and the future is indeed worrying.
As for Conley’s fit with Timberwolves, I can only say that it will be better than Russell. Perhaps his data is not as beautiful as Russell. But a few years ago, Conley had proved in jazz that he had the ability to help the team play better matches. Although this team will become shaky every playoff, it cannot hide Conley’s contribution. I bet Conley will play a bigger role in this more competitive team after joining Timberwolves than in the past few years, both on and off the court.
Conley and Gobel had a very good time of cooperation. Compared with Mitchell, Conley could always run the ball into the hands of the big French at the right time. In terms of passing, Conley’s skill and courage are beyond doubt. He can always find a reasonable passing angle.
Conley’s shooting performance this season is slightly lower than the average level of his career, but even so, his three-point shooting rate of receive the ball is still 41%, so he absolutely has the ability to open the field space. Moreover, Conley does not need to hold the ball for a long time like Russell, and Edward will benefit from it. Timberwolves fans have always hoped that Edwards will become the main controller of football rights. He is in a rising stage and needs to improve his usage rate.
What deserves attention is how downs would view the deal. As we all know, Russell is one of his closest friends. If Downs is dissatisfied with the deal, it may have a negative impact on the future of Timberwolves. Yogueta can realize that this is only a part of the business and accept the change, then everything will be fine.
Will Alexander Walker be part of the Timberwolves plan? He has high-gloss performance in jazz and Pelican. He is a flanking player with good height and has above-average organization and offensive skills. His playing time this season is very limited, but his attack efficiency is very bright. Although the figure is not strong, Walker’s snatch rate and capping rate are also quite good. Walker’s problem is that he still plays ball like a Cainiao by intuition and instinct. He must figure out why he can’t get too much playing time in jazz so that he can get opportunities in Minnesota. Generally speaking, Walker still has great potential to dig.
In addition, the management of forest Wolf did not let go easily in the transaction this time and persistently sought more returns, which made them get more future assets, although they were not the first round of signing, but for the general manager of the team CONNERY’S, the extra three rounds of signing are definitely good results.
Jazz received: Westbrook, Toscano Anderson, Damian Jones and a first round signature from the Lakers protected in 2027 (1-4 sequence)
Transaction rating: B +
Westbrook can’t stay in Salt Lake City to play, right? He had many disputes with fans in this stadium in the past. Of course, the Jazz’s purpose in making this deal would not be to let Wei Shao play here. It is expected that they will sit down and talk soon, and then reach a buyout agreement to let weishao go to another team willing to take risks on him. (Maybe another team in Los Angeles? Weishao doesn’t have to move.)
Other things in this transaction need not be analyzed carefully. What the Jazz wants is just the right to choose, which is what they want for all transactions in the past year. Anji got a historic return in the deal of sending Gobel to Timberwolves, and Sir Mitchell also got a reasonable harvest when he joined the Knights.
The Lakers are willing to go out of the first round because they want to get rid of the Vassy contract. There are two first round signatures in Los Angeles’s asset library, 2027 and 2029 respectively. In 27 years, this may be the most perfect harvest. James may play for another 2-3 years in Los Angeles. If the Lakers have never improved, he may choose to leave in 2027. Anji is betting now that the management of the Lakers is unable to build a long-term stable and sustainable team. Objectively speaking, this gamble is worth it.
Jazz has hoarded a large number of future picks. In this respect, they have the strength to break up with thunder. In the next few years, they have the financial resources to pursue some names that were once out of reach. Of course, they can also wait patiently, waiting for those teams to collapse when the picks are fulfilled. Anji and his colleagues completed the initial steps of reconstruction with super high efficiency, and accumulated a lot of assets for Salt Lake City in just one year.
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As for Anderson and Jones, they were not so important for most of this season. Since they could not play a role in the Lakers, it would obviously not be part of the jazz reconstruction plan. Anderson and Jones are not expected to get too many opportunities unless jazz will send more veteran generals in subsequent deals and need these two new aid to fill the rotation.
Original: Zach Harper
Compilation: Best 15th person
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