It only took one year from the main force to the abandonment of the player! The NBA star s condition has plummeted, and fans are shouting not to hold on.

Contemporary NBA veteran stars are facing key choices and structural challenges in their careers. LeBron James chose to execute a $52.6 million player option, a decision that puts a strategic contradiction between personal competitive pursuits and the Lakers' long-term planning. The solidification of the team's salary space limits the lineup upgrade space, and forces the all-time star to carefully plan the retirement schedule and whether to choose to end his career as a Lakers player.

The Golden State Warriors are experiencing a natural decline in the dynasty cycle, and their lineup structure has significant flaws: they are seriously aging and lack high advantages, and have lost their competitiveness in the highly competitive Western Conference. Stephen Curry, as the core of the team, is witnessing the once-ruling team on the brink of reconstruction.

Kevin Durant is in the championship-level lineup after joining the Houston Rockets, but he is under tremendous pressure to achieve results. If the team fails to achieve the expected record, the superstar will face severe public comments, especially considering the "Green Formula" curse that it has not yet broken.

James Harden continues to be trapped in the bottleneck of playoff performance, and his psychological quality has become a key factor restricting his breakthrough in the ceiling. Russell Westbrook's career trajectory is the most dramatic - from the absolute core of the Oklahoma City Thunder, to the role relegation of the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Lakers, until he became a rotation player in the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. Its salary level has a historic gap: it has dropped directly from the maximum salary of US$47 million in the 2022-23 season to the basic salary contract. This drastic change in the career trajectory is rare in NBA history. Compared with point guards who rely on technology and organizational capabilities (such as Stephen Curry, Chris Paul), defenders like Westbrook who are good at athleticism (similar to Derek Ross, Isaiah Thomas and John Wall) are more likely to experience cliff-like declines. It is worth noting that a key turning point in its competitive state occurred during the Lakers period, and the collaboration with LeBron James and Anthony Davis accelerated the degradation of its athletic ability.

Russell Westbrook's career has faced serious challenges in the near future. Its technical characteristics are significantly contradictory to the tactical system of the Los Angeles Lakers: as a ball handler who needs a large number of ball holdings, he has a ball-aligned conflict with LeBron James; at the same time, the Lakers mainly use slow half-court offense and defense conversion style that Westbrook is good at. This incompatibility has led to a significant decline in its competitive state and a significant decline in market value.

Despite showing key ball skills in the playoffs, Westbrook's high-stakes style is still regarded as a double-edged sword. Although the Denver Nuggets benefited from their performance in the first round against the Clippers, they did not propose an intention to renew their contract during the offseason. Social media dynamics show that the two sides have reached a consensus on leaving the team. The Sacramento Kings had an intention to introduce, but with Denis Schroeder signing and Malik Monk staying in the team, the possibility has been significantly reduced. Westbrook, 37, is facing the typical dilemma of a professional player in his late stages: it is difficult to obtain a contract that matches his historical status and lacks the opportunity to join a championship team. Its current situation reflects the NBA's cruel elimination mechanism for the single-type veterans. Westbrook himself publicly stated that he would continue to contribute to his basketball career, but the objective laws of competitive sports show that his career may end earlier than his peers. The market's expectations for its future direction have become more conservative.