sangna Hao’s retirement continues to ferment, and the Lakers, who were most affected, have also begun their offseason operations.
This is also a fairly routine operation.
Because it is uncertain when Sun Hao will return, the Lakers want to remain competitive, and acquiring Carter is the best choice.
Not long after the news broke, news soon broke that Carter was interested in joining the Lakers.
This is not surprising.
Carter has been quite unsatisfied in New Jersey in recent years, especially since his cousin Tracy McGrady has played in the conference finals every year. He has struggled to even reach the conference semifinals.
What people fear most is comparison, and then the psychological gap.
Now that he has the opportunity to go to Los Angeles and cooperate with “Big Shark”, he is naturally very happy.
Soon, ESPN broke the news that Carter and the Lakers had reached a four-year, 61 million contract, with a player option in the last year of the contract.
Before the new version of the labor agreement in 2011, there were no mandatory provisions on the length of the contract, but this contract was only for four years, and there were options in the last year, which is very intriguing.
After getting Carter, the Lakers completed several transactions and signings.
They first reached a three-year, 22 million contract extension with Posey, and then reached a deal with the Miami Heat to get “White Chocolate” Jason Williams.
The deal is also easy to understand.
With Carter signed and Ariza and Hill needing to renew their contracts, the team no longer has the space or salary to renew Posey’s contract.
This sign-and-trade is the biggest return they can receive if they let Posey go for nothing.
Although Williams is 32 years old, his age is not bad for a point guard.
And the key is that Williams only has one year left on his contract, which gives the Lakers flexibility based on future situations.
This can also be seen from the subsequent contract renewal.
They first reached a three-year, 10 million contract extension with Ariza, and a two-year, 4 million contract extension with Zhu Fangyu.
Hill is 35 years old, and this contract is definitely a premium.
But the Lakers’ purpose of doing this is also very clear, to expand their salary space and prepare for Sun Hao’s possible comeback.
This wave of continuous operations still reflects Kupchak’s professional level.
After completing these operations, the Lakers’ lineup next season will be:
Point guard: Jason Williams, Lou Williams, Sun Yue;
Shooting guard: Carter, Azubuike;
Small forward: Ariza , Hill, Zhu Fangyu;
power forwards: Millsap, Walker;
centers: O’Neal, Gortat;
this lineup, with some minor repairs, will still be very competitive in the Western Conference next season.
At the same time, there are some key signings and operations in this year’s free market.
After losing Carter, the Nets fully pursued the Sonics’ Lewis.
Because of the selection of Jeff Green, the Sonics have little desire to keep Lewis.
The Nets intend to