Ma Wei has become a hot commodity! The Lakers are not a potential suitor, Danny Green points out his fatal weakness

NBA reporter Jake Weinbach revealed that Hornets center Mark Williams, which is what we often call Ma Wei, is likely to be put on the trading shelves by the team again. As soon as this happened, the basketball circle became lively again, after all, he almost changed teams this season.

In fact, in February this year, Ma Wei was almost traded to the Lakers. At that time, both sides had almost had a good deal, and the final decision was short; but who knew that the deal was withdrawn in the end, which made everyone confused.

Marway is only 23 years old this year. As the No. 15 pick in the first round of 2022, he is in his third year of a rookie contract. His salary this season is $4.09 million, and his last year of a rookie contract; that is, in the 2025-26 season, his salary is expected to reach $6.28 million. With his strength and salary level, from his personal combat power, the cost-effectiveness is quite high.

However, the Hornets don't seem to think so. This center with starting strength seems to be not in the team's future plans. Jake Weinbach said that if the Hornets continue to sell their power, the Bucks, Bulls, Celtics, Raptors and Warriors may all become potential suitors, and the competition is fierce enough.

Former Lakers champion Danny Green talked about the current situation of the Lakers when he was on the podcast program "All the Smoke". He is not optimistic about the combination of LeBron and Doncic, and he also pointed out the fatal problems of the Lakers.

In my opinion, Ma Wei has become a "hot commodity" in the trading market, but the Lakers are not a potential suitor, and there are many reasons behind this.

Let’s talk about Ma Wei himself first, this young man’s strength is there. When he was in college, he played at Duke University and performed very well, and he won the ACC Best Defensive Player. After entering the NBA, he gradually made a name for himself with the Hornets. This season, he played in 44 regular season games, averaged 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, shooting 60.4% from the field and 80.4% from free throws; this data is quite good for a third-year center. Moreover, he is still young and has a lot of room for improvement. Which team doesn’t want such a player with full potential? This is why so many teams are interested in him.

From the team's needs, teams like the Bucks and Bulls need to strengthen the inside. Although Antetokounmpo is good in the inside, he lacks reliable helpers around him. If Ma Wei goes, he can help Antetokounmpo share a lot of pressure on the inside, and rebounding protection and inside defense will be improved to a higher level. The Bulls lacked depth in the inside line, and the arrival of Ma Wei can directly improve the team's inside line and contribute to the team's championship.

Looking at the Lakers again, this requires mentioning the Lakers' fatal weakness pointed out by Danny Green. He said that the Lakers are explosive on the offensive end now, but have a lot of loopholes on the defensive end. LeBron is old and will be 41 next season. Although he can still average more than 20 points or even 30 points per game, he will definitely not be able to do his best on the defensive end like he was when he was young. As for Doncic, his defensive enthusiasm and lateral movement speed are also limited. The Lakers' overall defensive rotation speed is insufficient, and it is easy for the opponent to break through the defense line. Why not pursue the power? Perhaps the Administration believes that even if Ma Wei comes, it will be difficult for a person to change the Lakers' overall defensive dilemma.

And the Lakers' previous failed trade with Ma Wei was also due to physical examination problems. The team has serious concerns about Ma Wei's injury history in his left foot, which also made the Lakers management feel worried. Even if Ma Wei is strong, if the injury affects his condition, it is not good news for the Lakers. Based on these factors, it makes sense that the Lakers did not list Ma Wei as a potential pursuit goal. The cost-effectiveness of the Lakers management has not pursued it again. As fans, we can only understand this way. The Lakers may have better pursuit goals.

But then again, the NBA trading market has changed a lot, and maybe the situation will change again one day, and it is not impossible for the Lakers to reconsider Ma Wei; after all, in this league full of variables, anything can happen.