Reeves + many first rounds! Where does Anji get his confidence?

This is probably the case. Recently, according to TA reporter Tony Jones, Kessler and the Jazz's rookie did not reach an agreement to renew their contract early. The 2022 first round No. 22 pick may become a restricted free agent next summer.

As soon as this news came out, many fans must have thought of it: Since the contract renewal cannot be completed in advance, the possibility of a transaction will increase. So, does the Lakers have a chance?

However, soon NBC Sports reporter Jake Weinbach reported that although the early renewal was not reached, the Jazz is not expected to lower the asking price, and unless an attractive offer is obtained, the Jazz will not let Kessler go easily.

The subsequent news broke even more. Lakers media Lakers Daily updated the social media about the possibility of Kessler joining the Lakers. He wrote: The Jazz offered a high price for Kessler. Sources revealed that in order to get Kessler, the Lakers may need to send Austin Reeves and multiple (at least 2) first-round draft picks.

Seeing this, my first reaction was to laugh.

First of all, it is not a secret that the Lakers want Kessler. There were rumors about it as early as when Davis was still in Los Angeles. After getting Doncic, Kessler seemed to have become more fragrant. After all, everyone knows what kind of inside line Doncic needs.

Objectively speaking, Kessler is indeed a very good inside player. He has amazed many people in the rookie season. He has excellent defense, is currently at the top of the franchise protection, and can also switch to defenders. At the same time, his ability to eat cakes in the interior is first-class and his style is very consistent with Doncic.

However, there are also problems, and there are many.

On the one hand, Kessler has almost no independent offensive ability. His scoring is basically all about eating cakes and second-offensive attacks. Even free throws are very unreliable. He is positioned as a super blue-collar worker with a limited upper limit. It is hard to say whether he can be selected as an All-Star in the future.

The fact is that Kessler's rookie season was amazing, but there was no transformational progress in the second and third seasons, even last season, he averaged only 11.1 points per game.

On the other hand, after signing Ayton in the offseason, the Lakers' demand for Kessler is not that great - Kessler is definitely a center better than Ayton and more adaptable to the Lakers at this stage. He can do more on the defensive end, but the Lakers at least have centers, which is completely different from the situation in the second half of last season.

And even if Kessler is obtained, the Lakers will face his contract renewal problem next year. If the gift is too big, it may directly affect the Lakers' plan to introduce big-name stars in the 2027 offseason.

and most importantly, Reeves? Jazz really dares to ask for it.

In his fourth year of entering the NBA, Reeves played his best career last season, playing in a total of 77 regular season games, averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, scoring 33rd in the league, shooting percentages in the three events were 46.0%/37.7%/87.7%, and his real shooting percentage was 61.6%.

After Doncic's trade, Reeves' performance has improved, averaging 22.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game, shooting percentage of 47.7%/38.9%/91.4% in three events, and a real shooting percentage of 64.8%.

is not an exaggeration. Judging from his performance after February, Reeves is a completely quasi-All-star player, and the point is that he and Doncic are very good. When the two are on the court at the same time, the Lakers can beat their opponents by 6.5 points in a hundred rounds.

Yes, the system with Doncic as the core needs a defensive blue-collar insider, but don't forget that this system also needs a role like Irving in 2024, and Reeves is Irving who the Lakers matched Doncic.

The fact is also true. This summer, there are constant reports that the Lakers have regarded Reeves as part of the future. Reeves also rejected the 4-year, 89.2 million contract provided by the Lakers in the offseason. His next contract annual salary is likely to exceed 30 million.

It's just for Reeves, but Anji dares to ask for at least 2 first-round picks (the Lakers can trade only 1 first-round now). I have to say that Anji is still the same Anji.

It should be admitted that in the previous transaction between Mitchell and Gobert, Anji gained a lot of money, especially the Mitchell transaction, which not only received 3 first rounds + 2 swaps, but also dug up an All-Star like Markanen.

But it may be that these two successful deals have led to everyone who meets you and you want to kill him. Obviously, the Lakers will not be fooled this time.

At this point, let's take a look at the situation of Markkanin.

When he was selected as the All-Star + as the fastest-progress player in the first year of joining the Jazz, Markanen's annual salary was only 16.48 million, and the contracts in the remaining two years were less than 20 million, which was extremely valuable for the transaction.

At that time, Anji asked for at least 5 first rounds, which was not an exaggeration. However, in the past two seasons, Markanin has not only not continued to improve, but his performance in the NBA has declined. The Jazz also re-signed a contract with him and gave him a four-year, 196 million yuan renewal, which directly led to a sharp decline in Markanin's transaction value.

With the example of Markkanen, looking at Kessler again, it is likely to be the same ending - rookie Kessler is really good, but what if next year's offseason sign Kessler with an annual salary of about 30 million yuan? I'm afraid it will change immediately.

In this way, Anji still dares to ask for a price like this. To be nice, he is brave, but to be ugly, he is brainless. With Angie's way of doing business, the Lakers should not think of Kessler, just wait to watch the Jazz's contract renewal show next summer.