[外絮] 湖人在休賽季期間需對控球後衛作的補強

原標題：Lakers’ offseason hinges on their decision at point guard. So, what
can they do?
(湖人的休賽季取決於他們在控球後衛位置方面作出的結論。因此，他們會怎樣 做？)

來源：https://theathletic.com/4605252 (付費媒體)

作者：Jovan Buha

原文＋翻譯：

For the fourth consecutive summer, the Lakers are looking for a solution at
point guard.

這已是湖人隊連續第四個夏天，正在尋找著對於控球後衛的解決方案。

Since its 2020 championship, when then-35-year-old LeBron James and
then-33-year-old Rajon Rondo excelled as the Lakers’ lead ballhandlers, Los
Angeles has used a revolving door of point guards. James’ advanced age and
mounting injuries, as well as an internal acknowledgment that he should play
off the ball more, have created a need for more supplementary ballhandling,
playmaking and shot creation within Los Angeles’ offense. It’s why the
Lakers have been enamored with the possibility of adding elite scoring guardslike Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving through the years.

在二零二零年奪得總冠軍的時候，作為主要控球球員、當時三十五歲的LBJ 和三十三歲的朗多表現得很出色，湖人隊擁有能進行輪替的控球後衛群。然而隨著LBJ 的年齡逐漸增加、傷病隨之頻發，加上內部認為他應該多嘗試無球戰術，使得湖人隊的進攻中需要更多輔助性持球、組織核心和機會創造。這就是為什麼湖人隊多年來一直對於追求小李和ＫＩ這樣的精英控球後衛的可能性感到著迷。

They have taken some big swings to fill this hole. The Lakers traded Danny
Green and a 2020 first-round pick for Dennis Schroder before the 2020-21
season. They flipped Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell
and a 2021 first-round pick to Washington in exchange for Russell Westbrook
in a five-team mega-deal in the ensuing summer. They, of course, moved
Westbrook for D’Angelo Russell (among others) in a three-team trade at the
2023 trade deadline, to mixed results. Russell, Schröder (twice) and even
Westbrook had productive moments, but none have provided exactly what the
Lakers have sought since the title run.

他們已經採取了一些大動作來填補這問題。湖人在2020-21 賽季開始前，用丹尼綠和一個二零二零年的首輪選秀權換來了德軟。在隨後的夏天，他們在五隊大交易中，將 KCP、庫茲馬、哈雷爾和二零二一年的首輪選秀籖權交易到巫師隊，以換取威少。當然，他們在二零二三年交易大限當日的三隊交易中，用威少換來了D'Lo（包括其他人），結果好壞參半。D'Lo、德軟（兩次），甚至威少都有富有成效的時刻，但沒有人提供湖人在奪冠後所想追求的東西。

The Lakers are at a crossroads once again this summer. Russell and Schroder
are unrestricted free agents, opening up the possibility that one or both aren’t back and the Lakers must again cycle through new options at point guard.
After priority No. 1 (re-signing free agent Austin Reaves) and No. 2
(re-signing restricted free agent Rui Hachimura), the Lakers’ next priority
is addressing their point guard uncertainty.

湖人隊今夏再次來到十字路口。D'Lo和德軟都是不受限自由球員，這意味著中一位或兩位可能不會回歸，並讓湖人隊必須再次在控球後衛的位置上探索新的選項。在完成前面兩項優先事項（依序重新簽下自由球員Austin Reaves 和受限自由球員八村壘）之後，接下來要解決的是控球後衛上的不確定性。

With the key spots in their rotation largely settled if they retain Reaves
and Hachimura, the Lakers’ offseason swings on their decision at point
guard. They have various options, from running it back (re-signing Russell
and Schroder) to chasing an expensive upgrade via free agency or trade
(Irving, Fred VanVleet, Trae Young), or splitting the difference (signing thepotentially available Chris Paul in addition to retaining Russell and/or Sch-roder).

在以留住 Reaves 和八村的前提下，基本上解決板凳上的關鍵人員問題後，湖人隊的休賽季將取決於他們對控球後衛的決定。他們有很多選項，包括重新簽下 D'Lo 和德軟，或在自由市場或交易中尋求豪華的升級（如ＫＩ、ＦＶＶ和吹羊），或在兩者間求取平衡點（留住 D'Lo 和德軟的同時，簽下可能進入自由市場的 CP3）。

The Lakers’ needs at point guard will be determined in part by how they fill
out the rest of their roster, but one of the constant requirements has been aplayer who can competently run the offense when James is off the floor,
develop strong pick-and-roll chemistry with Anthony Davis, fare well off the
ball as a catch-and-shoot threat and cutter and at least hold his own in the
team’s defensive scheme. Russell, Schroder and Westbrook each checked
several of those boxes, but none checked all of them.

湖人隊在控球後衛方面的需求將部分取決於他們如何填補他們名單上的其他部分，但其中一個不變的要求是，當LBJ 不在場上時，一名球員需要能夠勝任進攻、與ＡＤ建立強大的接球和滾動的化學反應、作為一個接球投籃的威脅和切割者，在球隊的防守計劃中至少要保持自己的地位。D'Lo、德軟和威少分別滿足了這些條件中的一部分，但沒有人滿足所有條件。

The most likely path forward is re-signing Russell and Schroder (possibly
with their taxpayer midlevel exception, worth a projected $6.5 million), as
The Athletic previously reported.

按照《運動家》早前的報導，最有可能的作法莫過於重新簽下 D'Lo 和德軟（可能用到納稅中產階級特例，價值預計是六百五十萬美元）。

Russell’s stock has never been lower after a disappointing Western
Conference finals showing against the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
He was significantly better in the first two rounds but still did not quite
perform well enough to be the third option on a title-contending team — the
level at which the Lakers will be paying him to play if he’s retained.
Russell is certainly a useful player who is good on more nights than not. Buta player making at least $20 million per season shouldn’t be played off the
floor in high-stakes playoff games.

雖然在對陣最終得到NBA 總冠軍丹佛金塊隊的西部決賽中，表現令人失望，D'Lo的價值從未降低過。他在前兩輪比賽中的表現明顯有所好轉，但仍然不足以成為一支爭冠球隊的第三選擇——如果湖人隊留用他的話，湖人隊將要繼續支付他的薪資。D'Lo當然是一個有用
的球員，能在更多的比賽表現良好。但一個每賽季至少賺取二千萬美元的球員，不應該在高風險的季後賽中被打下場。

Given Russell’s inconsistent playoff performance and the lack of league-wide
interest in him, the Lakers should have the upper-hand in contract
negotiations. One framework the Lakers have discussed internally, according
to multiple team sources not authorized to speak publicly, is signing Russellto a front-loaded two-year deal – either with an option in the second year
or a straight two-year contract – that both gives him the salary he wants
and keeps him on the same timeline as James (player option in 2024) and Davis(has an early termination option in 2024 and is eligible for a contract
extension in August).

鑑於 D'Lo 在季後賽中的不穩定表現，以及全聯盟對他缺乏興趣，湖人隊在合約談判中應該會佔上風。據多名未獲授權公開發言的球隊消息人士透露，湖人內部討論的一個框架是與 D'Lo 簽訂一份為期兩年的先期合同——要不在第二年有一個選擇權，要不直接簽訂兩
年合約——這樣既能給他想要的薪水，又能讓他與 LBJ（二零二四年有球員選擇權）和Ａ
Ｄ（二零二四年有提前終止的選項，八月有資格續約）處於同一時間線上。

Even though the three-team deadline deal was more about getting rid of
Westbrook than the players acquired, the Lakers don’t want to lose Russell
in free agency for nothing. Their preference is to find a superior player by
either sign-and-trading Russell elsewhere in July or, more likely at this
point, re-signing him and then potentially trading him later in the season
for a better player or fit.

儘管三隊在大限前的交易更多的是為了擺脫威少，而不是獲得球員，但湖人並不想在自由市場上白白失去D'Lo。他們更傾向於通過在七月從簽換交易中，把 D'Lo 交易出去，或者現時更有可能的作法是，重新與他簽約，然後可能在本賽季晚些時候將他交易出去、換取另一位更優秀的球員。

There may not be many realistic and attractive alternatives to re-signing
Russell. It’s unclear what, if anything, he would net them on the
sign-and-trade front. The theoretical alternatives range from unrealistic
(Irving, VanVleet) to even more unrealistic (Young, Lillard).

除了重新簽下 D'Lo 之外，可能沒有很多現實的、有吸引力的替代方案。目前還不清楚簽換交易方面能給他們帶來什麼（如有）。理論上的替代方案，從不現實的（ＫＩ、ＦＶＶ）到更不現實的（吹羊、小李）都存在。

Acquiring Irving or VanVleet would almost certainly require a sign-and-trade,which would hard cap the Lakers at $169.0 million. The Lakers can create
roughly $30million to $35 million in cap space, but it would cost them
multiple rotation players, likely including Hachimura. Even then, Irving and
VanVleet may want more than the $35 million the Lakers can offer – Irving’s
maximum contract would start at about $47 million and VanVleet’s max begins
at $40.2 million. Young and Lillard have been discussed internally but appearnothing more than a pipe dream given the current asking prices for stars on
the trade market.

要獲取ＫＩ或ＦＶＶ幾乎肯定需要先簽後換，這將使湖人的硬上限達到一點六九億美元。湖人隊可以創造大約三千萬至三千五百萬美元的上限空間，但這將使他們失去多名板凳球員，可能包括八村。即使如此，ＫＩ、ＦＶＶ可能想要超過湖人能夠提供的三千五百萬美元薪資——ＫＩ的最高合約將從大約四千七百萬美元起跳，ＦＶＶ的最高合約則從四千零
二十萬美元起跳。吹羊和小李已經被內部討論過了，但考慮到目前交易市場上明星的要價，似乎只是紙上談兵的事。

That leaves Paul as the most realistic potential upgrade at point guard. If
Paul is waived or stretched by the Suns, the Lakers would have a strong
interest in signing him, according to multiple team sources not authorized tospeak publicly.

這使得CP3 成為控球後衛群中，最現實的潛在升級。據多個未獲授權公開發言的球隊消息人士透露，如果CP3 被太陽隊裁走，湖人隊對於簽下他將有強烈的興趣。

The Athletic reported the Suns were working with Paul through a number of
options for next season, including a trade or a release. He is slated to make$30.8 million next season, but only $15.8 million of that is guaranteed if heis waived before June 28.

《運動家》曾報導稱，太陽隊正與CP3 就下賽季探索各種可能性，包括交易或放人。他下賽季的年薪將達到三千零八十萬美元，但如果他在六月廿八日前被裁走，受保障的薪資將只剩一千五百八十萬美元。

Given that Paul’s next contract would offset the amount he’s guaranteed for
this season, him signing for anything more than the veteran’s minimum doesn’
t really make sense, as it would only hinder his new team. The Lakers could
then sign Paul to a veteran’s minimum contract, retaining access to other
salary-cap exceptions to use on other players to bolster their depth.

鑑於CP3 的下一份合同將抵消他本賽季的受保障薪資，他以超過老將底薪的合約簽約其實是沒有意義的，因為這只會對他的新球隊造成阻礙。然後，湖人隊可以用老將最低薪資合約與CP3 簽約，保留其他薪資上限的特例，以用於其他球員，加強他們的深度。

Paul is coming off a season in which he averaged 13.9 points per game (on a
55.5 true shooting percentage), 4.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.5 steals. He’s far from the player he was even a few years ago, but he remains a quality
starter as a plus shooter and passer. His biggest issue, as has been the casefor several years, is durability. He has suffered an injury in three straightpostseasons and six of his nine trips to the playoffs, indicating the Lakers
would likely have to manage his workload throughout the 2023-24 season.

CP3 在賽季結束時，場均累計十三點九分（真實命中率達五成五）、四點三個籃板、八點九次助攻和一點五次抄截。雖然比數年前的表現遠遠遜色，但他仍然是一個高品質的首發球員，是一個優秀的灌藍兼傳球者。他最大的問題，正如近年來的情況一樣，是耐久性。他已經連續三個賽季在季後賽中受傷，九次進季後賽中也有六次受傷，這表明湖人隊可能不得不在整個2023-24 賽季管理他的工作量。

If the Lakers replace Russell with Paul on a minimum contract, they’d be
able to easily retain Reaves and Hachimura and have the option to use their
non-taxpayer midlevel exception (worth approximately $12.5 million annually)
on Schröder, another player, or both. Another option the Lakers have
discussed is signing Paul and retaining Russell to further solidify their
point guard position, according to those team sources. Paul would be the
favorite to start in that scenario.

如果湖人隊能藉著底薪條款，讓CP3 取代D'Lo，他們將能夠輕鬆地保留 Reaves 和八村，並可以選擇將他們的非納稅中產特例（每年價值約一千二百五十萬美元）用在德軟身上、另一名球員，或兩者都用。據這些球隊消息人士的說法，湖人隊討論的另一個選項是簽下CP3 並保留D'Lo，以進一步鞏固他們的控球後衛位置。在這種情況下，CP3 將是首發的熱門人選。

Head-to-head, Paul vs. Russell was never a conversation until last season,
and Paul still rates out better in virtually every advanced metric. He’s the
better midrange shooter, passer, rebounder and more of a defensive playmaker.That said, Russell is younger, nearly matched Paul as a midrange shooter thispast season and is the better 3-point shooter both by percentage and volume.
Russell’s 6-foot-10 wingspan also allows him to defend bigger players and
add length to the Lakers’ scheme in a way that the 38-year-old Paul never
could.

在上個賽季之前，CP3 與D'Lo的正面對決從未成為話題，而且CP3 在幾乎所有的高級指標上都更勝一籌。他是表現更好的中距離投手、傳球者、籃板手和更多的防守者。也就是說，D'Lo更年輕，在過去的一個賽季裡，他的中距離投籃能力幾乎和CP3 不相上下，而且在百分比和數量上都是更好的三分投手。D'Lo六尺十寸的翼展也使他能夠防守更大的球員，並為湖人隊的計劃增加長度，而三十歲的CP3 卻永遠不可能做到。

Paul’s ability to command an offense would be appealing to a Lakers team
that has lacked that type of traditional floor general. James, of course, hasalways played that role, to an extent, but Paul is one of the few players in
the league he would fully trust to help co-pilot the offense. Signing Paul inthis scenario would also be a minimal one-year investment from the Lakers.

CP3 指揮進攻的能力對於缺乏這種傳統地板將軍的湖人隊來說是很有吸引力的。當然，
LBJ 在某種程度上一直扮演著這樣的角色，但CP3 是聯盟中為數不多、他會完全信任的球員之一，可以幫助他共同領導進攻。在這種情況下，簽下CP3 也將是湖人隊最基本的一年投資。

There are other reasons for a Paul-Lakers reunion. Paul’s family remains in
Los Angeles. Paul and James have a long, storied friendship. They have
envisioned what it would be like to play together over the years. Paul
famously was traded to the Lakers in 2011 before the deal was nixed by formercommissioner David Stern for “basketball reasons.”

CP3 在湖人隊的重逢還有其他原因。CP3 的家人仍然在洛杉磯。CP3 和LBJ 還有一段長期的、有故事性的有七個。多年來，他們曾設想過一起打球會是什麼樣子。保羅在二零一一年被交易到湖人隊時，在完成已被前專員David Stern 以「籃球考量」為由否決之前，這一點是很有名的。

If the Lakers sign Paul, let Russell walk and retain Schroder, a Paul-Schroderbackcourt tandem would still allow Paul to play only 24 to 26 minutes per
night in the regular season before ramping up to a larger role in the
playoffs. Paul and Schroder played together in Oklahoma City during the
2019-20 season; Thunder lineups outscored opponents by 15.6 points per 100
possessions in the regular season and 5.3 points per 100 possessions in the
playoffs with the duo on the floor, per NBA.com.

如果湖人簽下 CP3，放走 D'Lo 並留住德軟，CP3 -德軟的後場組合仍然可以讓CP3 在例行賽中每晚只打二十四到二十六分鐘，然後在季後賽中提升到更大的作用。2019-20 賽季期間，保羅和施羅德在雷霆隊一起打球；根據數據統計，雷霆隊的先發陣容在例行賽中，每一百場中贏了對手十五點六分，在季後賽階段，每一百場中贏了五點三分。

However, Schroder is quietly one of the top point guard options realisticallyavailable this summer and will command deals that could be upwards of the
non-taxpayer mid-level exception (about $12.5 million starting salary). The
Lakers only have non-Bird rights on him, meaning they’d likely need to use
the midlevel exception to meet his market.

只不過，德軟悄悄地成為今夏相對現實的頂級控球後衛選擇之一，他的交易額可能會超過非納稅中產特例（大約一千二百五十萬美元的起薪）。湖人隊只擁有他的非鳥權，這意味著他們可能需要使用中產特例來滿足他的市場。

The Lakers have other options. They could re-sign Schröder anyway and
promote him to starting point guard, maintaining wing and big-man depth by
keeping Malik Beasley ($16.5 million team option) and Mo Bamba ($10.3 millionnon-guaranteed contract) over Russell. They could technically sign all three
of Russell, Paul and Schröder, with Russell and Schröder sliding up to
shooting guard in smaller bench backcourts. They could also hand ballhandlingkeys over to Reaves and add a player in the Caldwell-Pope/Danny Green mold
next to him to form a bigger backcourt, but it’s unclear if they’re willing
to do that yet.

湖人隊還有其他選擇。他們可以重新簽下德軟，並將他擢升為先發控球後衛，再透過保留Malik Beasley（一千六百五十萬美元的球團選擇權）和 Mo Bamba（一千零三十萬美元的非保障合約），維持側翼和大個子的深度。從理論上來講，他們可以把D'Lo、CP3 和德軟三人都簽下來，D'Lo和德軟在較小的板凳後衛線上滑到投籃後衛。他們也可以把控球權交給Reaves，並在他身邊增加一個類似KCP 或丹尼綠的球員，組成一個更大的後場，但現在還不清楚他們是否願意這樣做。

Looking at the free-agent market, if the Lakers wanted to use one of their
exceptions, there aren’t many – if any – options that would be a
legitimate upgrade over Schroder, let alone Russell. The Athletic’s John
Hollinger’s free-agency point guard rankings have Russell and Schroder at
No. 3 and No. 6, respectively. Aside from Irving and VanVleet, Miami’s Gabe
Vincent – more of a combo guard than a traditional floor general – is the
only appealing alternative, at least to Schröder.

縱觀自由球員市場，如果湖人想使用他們手上的其中一個特例，沒有多少比德軟更合理的升級之選擇（如有），更不用說 D'Lo 了。在《運動家》記者 John Hollinger 的自由市場控球後衛排名中，D'Lo和德軟分別排在第三和第六位。除了ＫＩ和ＦＶＶ，熱火的GabeVincent ——更像是一個雙能衛，而不是一個傳統的場上指揮官——是唯一有吸引力的替
代方案，至少對德軟來說。

Most realistically, the Lakers will re-sign Russell and Schröder,
maintaining flexibility for next season with the ability to enhance the
roster with a trade during the season. There’s also the growing possibility
that they can make a move at the 2023 draft, flipping their pick (No. 17),
along with Bamba and/or Beasley for a starting-level upgrade.

最現實的是，湖人將重新簽下 D'Lo 和德軟，為下個賽季保持靈活性，並有能力在賽季中通過交易來增強陣容。此外，他們越來越有可能在二零二三年的選秀大會上採取行動，將他們的選秀權（第十七號）與 Bamba 和／或 Beasley 一起交易出去，以獲得一個先發級別的升級。

The Lakers have craved continuity for years and have a chance to finally
establish some semblance of that by running it back with most of their
current group. That begins with the point guard position, which will
determine who fills in the fifth spot around Davis, James, Hachimura and
Reaves in closing lineups.

湖人隊多年來一直渴望永續性，並有機會透過與現有的大部分陣中球員一起運行，最終建立起某種程度上的永續性。這要從控球後衛的位置開始，這將決定誰在ＡＤ、LBJ 、八村和 Reaves 之外的第五個位置上擔當先發球員。

Los Angeles has a one-to-two-year championship window with James (38) and
Davis (30). This is perhaps its best shot at addressing arguably the team’s
biggest need and help solve some of the late-game offensive lulls from the
playoffs, most notably in the conference finals.

湖人的 LBJ（三十八歲）和ＡＤ（三十歲）有一至兩年的冠軍窗口。這也許是解決球隊最大需求的最好機會，並有助於解決季後賽中（尤其在西部決賽期間）最為明顯的一些後期進攻問題。

There are numerous ways the Lakers’ offseason can unfold. But, assuming they
stay true to their intent by retaining Reaves and Hachimura, nothing is more
important for the Lakers than their future at point guard.

湖人隊的休賽季有無數方式可以開展。但是，假設他們忠於自己的計劃、留下 Reaves 和八村，對湖人來說，沒有什麼比他們在控球後衛上的補強動作來得更重要。

短評：

在痛定思痛後，要再出發可能會是一大考驗呢...

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