Rivers value soars, and the Lakers are in a dilemma for renewing their contract: Is 30 million enough to keep people?

This offseason, Austin Rivers of the Lakers are writing an inspirational story of "a undraft counterattack". From a marginal player who held a two-way contract two years ago to now having a net worth of $30 million per year, the 25-year-old defender perfectly interprets what "opportunities are always left to those who are prepared". But the Lakers management couldn't laugh at this moment - after giving James a maximum salary, they could only provide a contract renewal of 89.2 million for four years, which is obviously quite different from the market expectations of the Rivers team.

"want money" or "want feelings"?

According to The Athletic reporter Shams Charania, the Rivers camp has already made a noise and they are more inclined to become full free agents in 2024. An insider revealed that the young man set his goal at a maximum salary range of more than 40 million per year. Last season, he not only delivered impressive data with averaging 20 points + 39.8% three-point shooting percentage, but also performed many big heart performances in key games. "He is now a hot commodity in the free market, just like the latest iPhone, everyone wants to grab the starter. "A league scout described it like this.

Of course, Rivers is not perfect. He does have obvious shortcomings on the defensive end. His height of 1.96 meters and general athletic ability make him quite struggling when facing top defenders. However, many team general managers believe that his game IQ and organizational ability (5.4 assists per game) are enough to make up for the defensive shortcomings. "Looking at Nash's example back then, defense has never been the only criterion for measuring the value of a point guard." An anonymous executive said.

The Lakers' dilemma

The options in front of Pelinka are not easy:

Adventure to stay: Betting on a year can convince Rivers to reduce the price and renew the contract, but it may be traded in advance: The Rockets, Spurs and other teams have expressed their interest, and may be able to exchange for high-quality puzzles

"This is like playing the manager mode of the live-action version of "NBA2K"," Lakers Nation, a well-known Lakers blogger, analyzed, "It is necessary to consider the current competitiveness and plan for the post-James era. "It is reported that the Lakers prefer to observe the performance of the new season first, but the Rivers team obviously hopes to take advantage of the situation to lock in a big contract.

The result of this tug-of-war for renewal is likely to become a weather vane for the future team building of the Lakers. In this era of scarce quality point guards, the value of dual-energy guards like Rivers, which have both scoring and organizational abilities may be even more precious than we imagined. After all, in today's NBA, guards who can hold the ball and organize are simply "hard currency" on the court.