Although the Lakers were eliminated in the first round, they still had a successful season compared to the Suns!

1-4! The Lakers were eliminated in the first round and the season officially ended. Summarizing the gains and losses of this season, the Lakers still have a successful season.

The Lakers were eliminated in the first round

① Dark eyebrows replaced Doncic, seamlessly connecting and completing reconstruction.

You should know that James is 40 years old this season and has entered his twilight years of his career. With only one first round, it would be an excellent deal to trade 32-year-old Thick Brows for 26-year-old Doncic in any case. After James retired, Doncic, the big nuclear player with the ball, took over perfectly, and the Lakers can continue to maintain competitiveness in the next few years!

Danime exchange for Doncic

Looking at the sun next door, the prospects for reconstruction are currently dark. Durant is very likely to leave, no one takes over Bill's big contract, and his first round pick is gone, so he basically doesn't have to turn around within a few years.

Durant Bill

②Stocking for a number of high-quality front lines.

Those who have potential in the forward group can stay with Doncic to form a system (such as young Cornector). Those who are older can trade draft picks to promote reconstruction, or seek stars with draft picks (such as Hachimura Shizuki and Fanny Smith). In short, the initiative and flexibility of operations are far stronger than the Sun! The Suns' weak front line and bloated backcourt are ignored even if they want to trade.

Lakers are eliminated in the first round

③Salary space and draft picks. This is the most enviable thing for the sun. At present, except for James, only Doncic has a maximum salary (48.97 million next season), and the other rotation players are basically around 10 million. Once James jumps out of the contract or the contract expires, the Lakers will have room to sign a big-name star naked to match Doncic! If a star is used to use Hachimura, Rivers and others to match the draft pick trade, the Lakers will return to the championship ranks again!

Speaking of draft picks, the Lakers' first round picks in 2026-2031, except for the top four protections in 2027, the rest are in their own hands! The Suns next door not only have their salary space locked by Bill, but even the draft picks were lost due to the transactions between Durant and Bill. They want to rebuild but have no capital!