The Lakers become Walker s next favorite: beat the Warriors odds list first, and James is the champion helper?

Timberwolves defender Alexander Walker will become a full free agent this summer, and the bookmaker lists the odds of Walker leaving the Timberwolves, and the Lakers are ranked first. Walker performed well in this year's playoffs, helping the Timberwolves reach the Western Conference Finals.

The current odds are as follows: 1. Lakers +235 (bet 100, if you make a hit, you will get 335 with a profit); 2. Nets +290; 3. Warriors +425; 4. Heat +525; 5. Raptors +900.

Walker played 82 games in the regular season this season, averaging 25.2 minutes per game, scoring 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists, shooting percentage of 43.8% and three-point shooting percentage of 38.1%. Walker played 15 games in the playoffs, averaging 206 minutes per game, scoring 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists, shooting percentage of 38.9% and three-point shooting percentage of 34.9%.

Walker was the No. 17 pick in 2019. He debuted in the Pelicans and was later traded to the Jazz. After the 2022-23 season, he was traded to the Timberwolves and became an important rotation player for the team. The 26-year-old is earning $4.31 million this season. With him helping the Timberwolves reaching the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years and averaging 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in this year's Western Conference Finals, shooting percentage of 43.1%, three-point shooting percentage of 41.4%, and free throw shooting percentage of 80.0%, his market conditions have greatly improved.

Walker is likely to pursue a contract with an annual salary of $10 million to $15 million. The Timberwolves certainly hope to keep Walker, but this summer, the Timberwolves will face renewal of the contract, Randle and Reed, and the contract renewal of these two should be ahead of Walker. Judging from the Timberwolves' salary, it is basically impossible for the Timberwolves to keep Randall, Reed and Walker all. After all, Edwards, Gobert, and McDaniels have already received high salaries, and the Timberwolves have difficulty meeting Randall, Reed and Walker's renewal salary requirements.

In the free agent market, Reed and Walker are destined to be pursued by many teams, and they are both good championship puzzles. For the Lakers, if Walker can be introduced, it can indeed improve the team's offensive ability on the wing. Walker is both offensive and defensive, and can fight tough battles, which can provide considerable support to James and Doncic.

This summer, the Lakers' main goal is to upgrade the inside, but they also need to continue to upgrade the wings. The Lakers' current wing players have single functions and lack players with both offense and defense. However, it is a bit troublesome for the Lakers to sign Walker directly. Unless James cuts his salary by about $15 million, the Lakers have a full middle-class contract. Otherwise, the Lakers can only get Walker by signing first and then changing. This summer, Lakers' management Pelinka is under a lot of pressure.