20 million in 2 years! The Nuggets will not give up, it is a good thing for the Lakers, the champion center is coming

As the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in 2018, not to mention that the Lakers lack centers, even if they do not lack Ayton, there is no problem at all to become the starter.

Comparison of data from the first two seasons of the career of the two No. 1 picks:

1, Ayton 1849 points, 1356 rebounds, 197 assists, 87 steals, 125 blocks;

2, Wenban Yama 2638 points, 1261 rebounds, 442 assists, 140 steals, 430 blocks. According to the comparison data, Ayton is more traditional center-oriented. Of course, what I want to express more is that if Redick and Doncic can mobilize Ayton's enthusiasm, at least an average of 20+10 per game will not be a big problem.

The starting center has, but what about the substitute center?

Regularly speaking, Hayes is a good candidate - he made 21 substitutes in the 24-25 season, averaging 5.0 points per game. But it would be more abrupt if it was put into the Lakers environment.

First, Hayes does not have the ability to attack independently, which leads to the ending all depends on "eating cakes";

Second, it is still difficult to say whether Vincent can continue to stay in the team at this stage.

Potential, if the Lakers substitute does not have a tandem player, then Hayes will be useless on the offensive end. From another perspective, Hayes is the team's third center, which is safer - an emergency response to garbage time or large-scale injuries.

Speaking of this, what is beneficial to the Lakers is here.

According to the NBA China official website, the Nuggets have informed Valan and their team that they will not give up the former's contract for the remaining two years. To put it more, Valan has two years and 20 million contracts.

will not give up Valan, which means that the latter cannot join the potential Nuggets in the European team and will not be able to free up completely middle-class space. Without complete middle-class space, the Nuggets are not attractive to Al Horford.

How should we understand Horford?

First, in the 23-24 season, he won the championship with the Celtics as the main player.

Secondly, in the 24-25 season, 128 assists were sent with the 28th most among the big players and 114 three-pointers as 11th most among the big players.

Obviously, we can define Horford as a champion center with space and tandem attributes. Given that the Nuggets will not be able to recruit Horford if they do not give up Valan, in my opinion, the latter is very likely to join the Lakers.

Reason 1: It is possible to win the championship. At present, there are basically two teams that have demand for Horford, the Lakers and the Warriors. Relatively speaking, the Lakers' chances of winning the championship are definitely greater than those of the Warriors. Although Horford has a championship, who would think there are too many championship rings?

Reason 2: Comfort. It is not deny that after the Warriors let Looney go, he can indeed provide Horford with a starter, and the Lakers can only play as a substitute after signing Ayton. But for a 39-year-old veteran, there is no need to prove anything. Obviously, he will do whatever he feels comfortable.

Reason 3: Contract. Before the contract is finalized, the Warriors can only issue a contract of about 5 million yuan. In this way, there is not much difference with the mini middle class offered by the Lakers.

To sum up three points, the Lakers have the advantage of winning the championship and comfort compared to the Warriors, so they are still very likely to win Horford.

What can Horford bring to the Lakers?

First, with projection ability, you can play double towers with Ayton; secondly, you can become a second-tier tandem player. More importantly, with rich playoff experience, you can become a veteran who can lead the pass.

Overall, the Lakers will definitely not lose money by signing Horford with 5 million in one year.