NBA: James injury update, Westbrook’s potential next destination is clear, Sharp hits $100 million in 4 years

The NBA preseason continues, and the preseason matchups between multiple teams are also quite intense. On the one hand, they are looking for the status of the core players, and on the other hand, they are testing the young players in the lineup to prepare for the upcoming new season. In addition, there are many off-site news worthy of attention. For example, there have been further updates on James' injury; the potential next home of Westbrook, who was no one interested in during the offseason, has gradually become clearer. The last news is about the Trail Blazers. Next, let's take a look at the specific situation. NBA: James injury update, Westbrook’s potential next target is clear, Sharp hits 100 million in 4 years.

James was unexpectedly injured. In addition to missing the preseason, he is also expected to miss a period of time in the regular season. Earlier, celebrity reporter Shams updated James' injury issue on the show. He said that as far as he knows, James' injury first occurred in late July and early August. He was training on the court at the time, which means he has been fighting and dealing with this problem for two and a half months now. Obviously this is not a sudden injury.

James' injury can be said to have disrupted the Lakers' next plan to a certain extent. As far as the current lineup is concerned, their starting lineup for the opening game can be determined to be Doncic, Reeves, Hachimura and Ayton. It is expected that the last starting lineup will choose one of the three players Smart, Laravia and Vanderbilt to replace James who is absent due to injury.

It is worth mentioning that ESPN Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin talked about some possible variables for James in the new season on the show. He said that James will observe the Lakers team. If the Lakers struggle when he is injured, then at a certain point in the new season, we may see James' next decision. No matter what happens in the future, James' age is here, and his games can be said to be one less game.

There is another veteran in the league whose situation needs to be focused on, and that is Westbrook. You must know that not many teams are interested in Westbrook during the offseason, which also leads to the fact that he has not yet received a contract. Now Westbrook's potential next home has gradually become clear. According to Shams earlier, there is a strong two-way cooperation intention between Westbrook and the Kings. The performance of the Kings' bench last season was not ideal. Their bench points and assists ranked second in the league. Westbrook averaged 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game with the Nuggets last season, which can alleviate the Kings' problems to a large extent.

Kings reporter Carmichael Dave revealed more news. He said that from the current point of view, if the salary problem can be solved, then the probability of Westbrook joining the Kings is as high as 70%. If the NBA signing fails, Westbrook will still have generous offers from Chinese teams. It's probably a contract for about half a season, and the benefits of this contract are almost four times what the Kings can provide. Where will Westbrook ultimately go? We'll see.

The last news is about the Trail Blazers. Earlier, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer jointly reported that Trail Blazers player Seldon Sharp is expected to get a four-year, US$100 million early contract extension. In the previous game against the Warriors, Sharp performed very well. He played 22 minutes and scored 22 points, six rebounds and two assists on 9-of-15 shooting with a plus-minus of plus-14. His performance was outstanding. As the No. 7 pick in the first round of the 22nd class, his current rookie contract has one year left, that is, a salary of approximately US$8.4 million in the 25-26 season.

Last season he averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.9 steals per game. Sharp is currently in a state of continuous improvement, and this performance is also expected to help him fight for a four-year starting salary contract of US$100 million in the future. What kind of contract do you think the Trail Blazers will give him in the end?