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Los Angeles Lakers predicted to be worse in five years

By Kenneth Teape

AKRON, OH - JULY 30: LeBron James addresses the media following the grand opening of the I Promise school on July 30, 2018 in Akron, Ohio. The new school is a partnership between the LeBron James Family foundation and Akron Public Schools. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Allison Farrand/NBAE via Getty Images)
AKRON, OH - JULY 30: LeBron James addresses the media following the grand opening of the I Promise school on July 30, 2018 in Akron, Ohio. The new school is a partnership between the LeBron James Family foundation and Akron Public Schools. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Allison Farrand/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers were picked as one of the teams that will be worse in five years in Bleacher Report’s predictions.

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially back. After the signing of LeBron James, the Lakers have instantly becoming playoff contenders in the loaded Western Conference. They are hoping to make some noise in the playoffs, but have some work to do before getting there.

Building chemistry and cohesion will be key. With so many new faces, there will be an adjustment period. With James in town, expectations are heightened right away. However, some will question just how long the Lakers have given James’ age.

James will be 34-years old in December. Father Time is undefeated, so it is only a matter of time until he catches James as well. As a result, the Lakers could look to push their rebuild further even more by trading off some of their young pieces for an established player.

That is partly why the Lakers aren’t regarded too highly in a recent Bleacher Report article.

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Bleacher Report compiled an article predicting whether each team will be better or worse in five years. While the answer may surprise some people, the Lakers were picked to be worse in five years.

The basis of this selection is that Bleacher Report believes the Lakers will go all-in around James sooner than later. One potential route for that all-in approach is trading away part of their young core.

Players such as Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma are a big reason that James wanted to sign with the Lakers. However, they could also be key to pushing the Lakers to the level of being true contenders.

All four could be a part of a trade to land an established superstar. In any trade for a big named player, such as Kawhi Leonard this offseason, draft picks would also be involved.

Trading away future first round picks would also lessen the chances of the Lakers being better in five years than they are now. Even if they keep the picks, the Lakers will likely be picking outside of the lottery, lessening their chances of landing impact players. Los Angeles has done very well selecting late in the first round recently, but that is not the norm.

However, there is still a chance that the Lakers are better in five years. James did not want the young core traded away this offseason. That is a good sign for the Lakers future, as James knows the young guys are key to the Lakers taking the next step to being NBA Finals contenders.

Too often we see teams gutted by trades for superstars, leaving them without any foundation. James does not want that to happen to the Lakers. If Los Angeles is able to sign another superstar in free agency, they will not only improve in the immediate future but also keep the window wide open for the future as they will not be parting with future assets.

Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have done an excellent job leading the Lakers. Given their success thus far, betting against the Lakers and saying they will be worse in five years is a risky proposition.

While James will more than likely not be the same player in five years as he is today, he could help put the Lakers in position to succeed once he departs.

Next. 50 Greatest Lakers In Franchise History. dark

It is tough to see the Lakers being worse in five years unless Johnson and Pelinka get nervous and start trading pieces of their young core and future assets.

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