Third, the lottery pick.
The Lakers' draft pick has indeed changed, but it's just moved down one spot.
Kupchak, who represented the Lakers in the draw, said he was very satisfied with getting the No. 3 pick. After all, the Lakers only have an 8% chance of getting the No. 3 pick, and winning the top three picks also means that this pick does not need to be handed over to the 76ers. .
Compared with before, the 76 team was very uncomfortable, and the Nets were equally uncomfortable. Now the Nets are back on the track of reconstruction, and it is the time when they need potential rookies.
After the Lakers drafted the only variable, the rest followed the original historical trajectory, with the Suns, Timberwolves, and Pelicans.
The Pelicans were in a bad situation. They obviously had the same chance as the Lakers, but the Lakers got the third overall pick, while the Pelicans could only pick No. 6.
Further down are the Nuggets, Kings, Rams, and the Nuggets and Rams' picks are not their own. The Nuggets' No. 7 pick originally belonged to the Knicks, while the Rams' pick belongs to the Nuggets.
Then there are the Bucks, Magic, Jazz, Suns (from the Wizards), and Bulls. These are the 14 picks in the lottery.
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With the draft lottery over, this year's rookies are about to start a new round of trial training, but the Lakers are in a dilemma because they don't know if they can select the person they want with this lottery.
The target of the Lakers' desire is none other than Ingram, who was originally selected by the Lakers with the second pick in history. You know, Ingram's draft template is the former second pick Kevin Durant.
In fact, Ingram is also the favorite for second place this year. The Lakers were very satisfied with him during the previous trial training, but the most important thing is that the Lakers currently lack a player at the third position.
Li Hao will return to the No. 1 position next season, which will leave the original No. 3 position vacant. Currently, Nick Young plays the No. 3 position on the Lakers.
However, Nick Young is obviously not suitable for starting. Not to mention that Nick Young has declined due to injuries in the past two years, his domineering style of play alone is not suitable for appearing in the main lineup.
You know, if the Lakers' recruitment this summer goes well, next season's starting lineup will be composed of Li Hao, Wade and Howard.
When the Lakers front office was in trouble, the Los Angeles media was very helpful, because the Los Angeles media broke the news that the Lakers wanted to trade the No. 3 pick.
Then the Celtics took the initiative to approach the Lakers and offered to exchange their second pick for the Lakers' third pick. Well, the Celtics' operation made the Lakers a little confused.
However, the Celtics will do even better next year. They traded the No. 1 pick from the Nets to the 76ers, successfully skipped the Fultz trap and successfully selected their favorite Tatum with the No. 3 pick.
I have to say that the Celtics have been very good at drafting in recent years, so it is not difficult to understand that the Celtics want to trade with the Lakers at this time.
Because the Celtics are interested in Jaylen Brown, and Jaylen Brown's draft pick prediction is 4-8, but if he really trades down, he will probably be intercepted, so the best choice is It's a deal with the Lakers who hold the No. 3 pick in hand.
While ensuring that you select your favorite player, you can also gain a sum of cash through the transaction. Although it is a small amount of money, the Celtics will definitely make a profit without losing anything.
I have to say that Ainge is really good. After becoming the general manager of the Celtics, he formed the Big Three and successfully won the championship. Then he drained the value of the Big Three, traded them for a push of draft picks, and finally selected the cornerstone of the team. .
It is no exaggeration to say that Ainge is definitely the best general manager in the NBA in the past ten years. After Ainge leaves in the future, the Celtics will immediately start to make troubles.
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"Li, I'm in Los Angeles." Three days after the draw, Li Hao received a call from Wade.
These days, Wade once again communicated with the Heat, expressing his desire to sign one last contract to stay with the Heat, but Wade's enthusiasm was once again ruthlessly rejected by his ruthless mentor.
It was Laili who brought Wade to the Heat. Due to a serious injury in college, Wade's picks when he participated in the draft were in the last few positions of the lottery, but the Heat unexpectedly selected Wade with the No. 5 pick.
Facts have proved that this decision was correct. Even if he gave up a meniscus, Wade is still a historical shooting guard. He is known as Jordan who is 5 centimeters shorter and is the third shooting guard in history after Jordan and Kobe.
But this kind of shooting guard has never received a maximum salary contract during his years with the Heat, and he is even unwilling to give him a retirement contract.
"Ah? Why didn't you tell me in advance?" Wade did not tell Li Hao in advance about his arrival this time.
"Haha, I forgot." Wade obviously couldn't say that he was rejected by the team again and came to Los Angeles in anger.
"Are you at the airport? I'll pick you up now," Li Hao said.
"No, just tell you where it is and I'll go find you," Wade said.
"Okay" Li Hao said and sent Wade the location of the training hall through the app.
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"Dwyane, welcome to Los Angeles," Li Hao greeted him as he walked out.
"Goodbye, Dwyane" came out with Li Hao and Grover.
Wade once hired Grover, so the two were old acquaintances.
"Long time no see." After greeting Li Hao, Wade hugged Grover.
In fact, Li Hao brought Grover with him for a purpose. After all, Grover and Wade had a very good relationship, and Grover was now Li Hao's trainer.
"Dwyane, come to the Lakers" standard opening.
"Lee, you know, I'm already a 34-year-old guy." Obviously, Wade has not recovered from the ruthless rejection by the Heat.
"So what? I believe you can still help the team and decide the outcome of the game. You are one of the best players in the league." Even in the season when he retired, Wade could still play 72 games as a substitute, averaging 10 goals per game. 15 points, 4.2 assists, 4 rebounds.
For a veteran who had just been rejected by the team that had played for 13 years, Wade was deeply moved by Li Hao's words at this moment.
"Dwyane, you are not coming to the Lakers for retirement. On the contrary, we really need you to extend the invitation and need your experience in past championships." Li Hao continued before Wade could speak.
"Championship?" Well, Wade was stunned, wondering if there was something wrong with his ears. After all, the Lakers' record last season was fifth from the bottom in the entire league.
"The team is discussing the contract with Dwight Howard and has basically reached a consensus," Li Hao said.
"Dwight?" Wade hesitated when he heard Howard's name.
Warcraft has strength, but Wade naturally knows about Warcraft's self-centered character.
"Don't worry, Dwight is willing to make changes." Li Hao knew Wade's hesitation. If Howard was unwilling to make changes, he would not let the Lakers sign Howard even if there was no center available.
