Vincent&&Kleber, the lifeblood of the Lakers this season, is actually in the hands of these two?

Kendrick Nunn, after the Lakers introduced Westbrook in 2021 to form the "Big Three" that would later be laughed at, Pelinka left him with the only mid-level contract above the basic salary.

But that year, he was reimbursed for the season without playing a game, forcing Zhan Meigui and the other three to play in rotation for a year with a ten-base salary, and finally gave up early and missed the play-offs.

He is also called "a generation of fraudsters" by Lakers fans.

But Nunn and the Lakers ended up not bad. In January 2023, Pelinka packaged him and the third round to the Wizards to get Hachimura, who is still the main force of the Lakers. Nunn himself also went overseas after that season and prospered with the Greek giant Panathinaikos. Due to the tax difference, he even earned more than he did in the United States.

Pelinka is equivalent to using the mid-level player and the third round (also exchanged for another free player Thomas Bryant from the Nuggets) to get the starting forward who has been used for three years.

Even if you suffer a loss, the loss is not huge. It can be regarded as a timely stop loss.

But Pelinka seems to be addicted to the loss of the Heat's old players. In 2023, he once again used his precious mid-level funds to sign Gabe Vincent, who has made a name for himself in Miami.

Well, tough guys only belong in Miami. When he comes to the Lakers, he becomes the "second generation fraudster."

In the 23-24 season, he played 11 games, averaging 3 points per game.

Last season, he entered the normal rotation and played 73 games. However, in the playoffs against the Timberwolves, he only scored a total of 14 points in an average of 20 minutes in five games. At his peak, he only scored one game with the Heat, and his contribution was almost negligible.

It can be said that Pelinka has done well in transactions, signings, and drafts in recent years, but it is precisely because of the use of mid-level contracts that he was deceived into his grandma's house by a former Heat player.

Vincent rekindled the confidence of Lakers fans in this year's preseason. During his contract year, he scored 16.3 points in four games and averaged 3.8 three-pointers per game. Among them, he scored 18 points on 5-of-5 three-pointers in the first quarter of the game against the Mavericks, which made people exclaim, "After waiting for three years, I finally waited for the Heat."

As a result, just three games into the regular season, he sprained his ankle against the Kings and was sidelined for 2-4 weeks.

In addition, James, Doncic, and Rivers were injured in turn after the start of the game, and there was a serious shortage of ball handlers, which has forced Redick to develop Brownie. Fortunately, the young man has kept up his courage, and now he and two-way contract player Nick Smith have become the team's substitute backcourt, and they have contributed a lot to these consecutive wins.

Mr. Wen once again put on a suit, dressed up like an adult, and returned to his most familiar position in the Lakers - the end of the bench, where he could rest in peace and recuperate.

To be fair, Vincent is a good player.

He started playing as an undrafted player. He worked hard to stand out in the heat competition and impressed Spoelstra before he got a place in the Heat.

After coming to the Lakers, he was the pistachio of the team. Both Hamm and Redick praised his positive role in the locker room. When he is healthy, he is still useful at least in the regular season. Last season, the Lakers' overtime battle with the Knicks and their home victory over the Rockets relied on his three-pointers to extend their lives.

But no matter how good a player is, if he can't play on the court, everything is in vain.

Compared to Vincent, Kleber is even more weird.

As a partner in Doncic's trade in February this year, Pelinka pinched his nose and accepted him. There is no other way, I have already gained a Luka from the opposite side, so it makes sense to help Nico disturb the garbage.

This eldest brother can be called a god. He entered the Mavericks through Dirk's recommendation. As a result, he finally found a job in the NBA with Doncic's feeding.

But just like the evaluation of "a three-point shooter who averages two points per game", he is the same type as James Gibson, Damon Jones and others, "it is difficult to make a living in the NBA without XXX".

In 2022, he was able to get a three-year, US$33 million contract by relying on his affinity with Luka. As a result, the Mavericks regretted almost signing it. Not only did his condition deteriorate year by year, but he also regarded medical treatment and medication as his job, making it uncomfortable to recover from minor injuries and major injuries.

He played one game after he came to the Lakers. It was against the Timberwolves in G5 in the playoffs. Redick was so anxious that he put him on to try his luck. As a result, he played 5 minutes and scored 2 points. The head coach was probably afraid that he would be injured after playing for a long time.

During this offseason, he showed off his muscles and was known as the "Return of the King." However, he died again before the preseason started. He was sidelined for several weeks due to an oblique muscle strain. As for the weeks, no one really cared about him, and no one really regarded him as a Laker anyway.

So although the Lakers' 7-2 start is encouraging, in fact it is hard to tell.

Lao Zhan has not yet appeared due to sciatica, plus these two players and rookie Tierro.

Equivalent to the Lakers' total salary of 194 million this year, 77 million of the salary is currently "on idle".

Relying on a lineup of over 100 million to reach second place in the Western Conference, Redick and the players have really worked hard.

So for the next regular season, a strategic goal of the Lakers is how to integrate the two negative assets of Vincent and Kleber into "positive assets" through transactions..

Both of them have expiring contracts with only a few months left. Under normal circumstances, it is not too difficult to clear out. In addition, there is a high-quality young man like Knecter in the team who cannot be used temporarily, but many teams are still interested in. If they are packaged into a bargaining chip worth about 27 million and added to the last round of signings (2032), there may be unexpected gains.

At present, it seems that when James returns, the team will have a stable seven-man rotation (Gandori, Hachimura, Smart, Ayton, Laravia), and Hayes and Vanderbilt are likely to be unable to play in the playoffs due to technical shortcomings. Bronny, Nick Smith, and Tierro are not expected for the time being.

The current Lakers lack a 3D with the ability to lead defense. A swinging position 4 or 5 with the ability of a small-ball center, as well as a strong European White Bear center facing the teacher, can rely on the buyout market efforts in the second half of the season.

So what are the players on the market worth around 20 million who can be traded for Vincent, Kleber or even Knecht? Let’s take a look at the combination of immediate combat strength and feasibility:

①Pope (Grizzlies, 43.24 million in 2 years left, annual salary of 21.62 million this season)

The most feasible option. Although he will serve as the starter after coming to the Grizzlies this season, he is destined to make way for young people such as Wells and Coward.

The Grizzlies are currently in a period of turmoil, and Morant is likely to be traded. Once the Bears king leaves, the team will immediately begin a semi-reconstruction.

Then Pope's two-year contract will become a burden, and the Lakers can directly trade Vincent + Kleber to help the "good brothers" Grizzlies reduce salary pressure.

Trivia: The Grizzlies are one of the few Western Conference teams that has a good relationship with the Lakers.

② Wiggins (Heat, 58.4 million in two years left, annual salary of 28.22 million this season)

The person the Lakers have been pursuing.

had previously asked for Hachimura + Knecht + a first-round pick, and the Lakers directly suspended negotiations.

But considering that the Heat are also ready to press the rebuild button at any time, and even Adebayor will definitely be traded, then Wiggins will not be able to accept the player option of 30.16 million in the final year next year.

The biggest difficulty in trading Wiggins is that his contract is a bit large, and it is difficult to use the "one more for one" model in the middle of the season (each team's roster is full).

Maybe Brother Zui is destined to miss Los Angeles.

③Herbert Jones (Pelicans, 5 years left, 97 million, annual salary 13.9 million this season)

The Pelicans are currently starting with 2 wins and 6 losses, and they may have to rebuild again.

Zion, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones and other former general manager Griffin's assets may all be put on the market.

Jones is already a well-known one-man defense monster in the league. With his strength, his contract of 98 million in the next five years can even be considered a bonus.

But his attendance rate is a problem. He has missed 68 games in the past two seasons.

If he is not in the team's plan, then his five-year, $100 million contract left will be a burden. If the Lakers are willing to put Knecht in the deal, coupled with Vincent's expiring contract and second-round pick, they may really be able to pass the test.

Even in the author's mind, Herbert Jones deserves the Lakers to add a first-round pick (31/32)

In short, only by dealing with the two bad contracts of Vincent and Kleber can the Lakers expand their lineup to a "championship" level and be qualified to stand on the highest stage and challenge first-tier teams such as the Thunder, Rockets, and Nuggets.

If we can only continue to use the current lineup and keep these two oil bottles until the end of the season, then Lakers fans should not expect any miracles at the end of the season.