The four-for-one trading plan was born! Media FW offered a plan to the Lakers pursue 3J, and the luxury four giants are competing for the championship again

The Lakers lost 1-4 to the Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA playoffs, and the loss of this series pushed the Lakers management to the forefront - the trio of 40-year-old James (averages 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds per game), newly joined Doncic (averages 28.2 points, 7.7 assists, 8.2 rebounds per game) and Reeves (averages 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds per game) failed to break through the iron wall of the Western Conference upstart Timberwolves.

Faced with the increasingly fierce competitive landscape of the West, Eddie Bitar, a columnist for the well-known sports media "Fadeaway World", has launched a major potential trading plan:

The Lakers can use Hachimura Hiroshi, Knecht, the first round pick in 2031 and the first round swap rights in 2026 to exchange Grizzlies All-Star inside Jaren Jackson Jr. (3J).

If this deal is reached, the Lakers will form a Big Four lineup of James + Doncic + 3J + Reeves, and launch an attack on the championship again. 3J averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in the regular season this season, with a three-point shooting percentage of 37.5%. He won the 2023 DPOY (Best Defensive Player). After the Grizzlies were swept by the Thunder in the first round, it will be possible to reorganize around Morant and Bain. It is also unknown whether 3J can continue to stay in the team.

The Lakers' series against the Timberwolves exposed their fatal shortcomings, and their inside loss of points and rebounds were relatively serious; after Davis was sent away, the substitute inside line composed of Hayes and Vanderbilt was like paper, and G5 was knocked out of a very high penalty area hit rate by Gobert. The 3J's joining can directly fill this loophole - its 2.08-meter height and 2.27-meter wingspan can provide top-notch frame protection, and it is extremely outstanding in 1.7 blocks per game, which is exactly the Lakers urgently need for interior defense.

The deeper crisis lies in the aging of the lineup. James' shooting percentage fell in the end of the playoffs, and the physical bottleneck forces the Lakers to find stars who can "hold time". 3J is only 25 years old. His pick-and-roll down efficiency and three-point shooting ability can not only alleviate the pressure of James with the ball to score, but also open up space for Doncic to break through, perfectly adapting to the Lakers' "one-star four-shot" system.

The Grizzlies were swept by the Thunder in the first round, and the fatigue of the core lineup was revealed. Morant's attendance rate is insufficient due to injury. Although Bain averaged 19.2 points per game, his three-point shooting percentage was only 39.2%. The 3J playoff defensive efficiency value (118.9) dropped significantly compared with the regular season (108.8), revealing unstable shortcomings. With a 3J trading this summer, the Grizzlies will not only win Hachimura Shirato (average 13.1 points per game this season) and Knecht (a rookie three-point shooting percentage of 37.6%) to strengthen the front line, but also accumulate future draft picks, paving the way for reconstruction around Morant and Bain.

The author believes that for the Lakers, this deal is a big bet of "winning in the present". 3J's contract (expired in 2026) will completely lock the Lakers' salary space, but the vacuum of commercial value after James' retirement needs to be filled by a rising star. The combination of Doncic + 3J is under 26 years old, which can ensure the Lakers' competitiveness in the next five years. The Grizzlies are facing the risk of word-of-mouth - sending away the former DPOY may lead to dissatisfaction among fans, but the management may pay more attention to Hachimura's immediate combat power and Knecht's projection potential.

This move can cope with fierce competition in the West. The Timberwolves have Twin Towers + Edwards, the Thunder have Alexander + Homgren, and the Clippers, Mavericks and other teams are not weak either. If the Big Four takes shape, the Lakers' offensive efficiency and defensive elasticity (3J+Hayer's double towers) will undergo a qualitative change, but the chemical reaction is still unknown - Doncic's career ball-holding rate is very high, which may conflict with James' ball rights allocation.

The Lakers' "superstar pile" strategy has failed many times, with a crushing defeat in F4 in 2013 and a Westbrook trade collapse in 2021. Although this deal gives up future draft picks (the first round of 2031 may be of great value), considering the box office pressure after James retires, it is not impossible for the management to choose to "exchange the future for the present". In addition, 3J's injury history (absent from 43 games in the past three years) and defensive habits (average of 3.6 fouls per game in his career) may also become hidden dangers.

This potential four-for-one deal is the last championship sprint for the Lakers; for the Grizzlies, it is a farewell to the pain of transformation of "iron-blooded basketball" and completely wait for an opportunity to make a comeback with the outside line as the core.

If the deal comes true, another "super strong team" will be born in the West, but basketball is not a simple superstar addition and subtraction method. Can 3J adapt to the Lakers' tactical play, and how to allocate the ball rights between Doncic and James? These problems may test the Lakers more than the transaction itself.

The only thing that is certain is that in the Wild West of the NBA, there will never be a shortage of good shows.