3. LeBron James Should Be Traded
Last summer, James didn’t need to be recruited by the Lakers. His priorities were not about basketball or winning titles. He wanted to move to LA to be close to his business interests, and his family, not surprisingly, preferred being in Southern California than in Akron, Ohio. So it was pretty much a no-brainer for him to sign with the Lakers.
LBJ knew full well that he was joining an extremely inexperienced group of talented young players. Perhaps he envisioned that he could lead them to success. But he under-estimated the severe imbalance that would exist between him and the not-quite-ready for prime time young core.
To be fair, the Lakers compiled an excellent 15-8 won-loss record in the 23 games that James, Kuzma, Ingram and Ball played together. But LeBron was an uneasy fit, especially with Ingram and Ball, both of whom are at their best when the ball is in their hands.
Adjustments will still need to be made going forward. But if the Lakers add a solid center and a couple of reliable outside shooters, and the key players enjoy reasonably good health, the team should qualify for the playoffs next spring.
James, however, is turning 35 in December. He is still one of the league’s biggest offensive forces. Yet when he’s tried to take over in the final minutes of play, his performance has been merely ordinary, certainly not spectacular. And he has not demonstrated the leadership qualities expected of him. In particular, his role in the Lakers failed attempt to trade for Davis poisoned team chemistry.
Nobody knows how much longer LeBron will remain in possession of his full offensive powers. Defensively, he has already slipped. His lack of mobility has rendered him less-than-average and sets a poor example for his young teammates to follow.
The Lakers team goal is to become a sustainable NBA contender. If they fail to acquire a second All-Star this summer, they won’t be able to achieve that status for another two-to-three years, when their younger players reach their prime.
With that in mind, it’s in the Lakers best interests to trade James sooner than later. Then they can still receive a reasonable return from some team that is more ready than they are to take the next step towards a title. Hopefully, such a trade would pay dividends in future seasons for LA.
In the latter years of Kobe Bryant’s career, the Lakers refused to trade him. The biggest two differences then were that 1) Kobe was an iconic Laker who had played his whole career with the franchise and 2) in those years the Lakers did not have a young core of players with the talent to lead them in the future.
Contrary to public belief, LBJ’s contract does not have a no-trade clause, although it does have a salary escalator if he’s traded. But that should not act as a big hindrance to a possible deal.
However, it seems unlikely the Lakers would initiate trade talks on their own. But perhaps LeBron will come to the realization that to truly cement his legacy and to satisfy his ego, he needs to win another title or two while he’s still near his best. And without a second established star, the likelihood of doing that with the Lakers is not particularly strong.
If that happens, and James requests a trade, the Lakers should be happy to comply. Building for the future might disappoint some fans in the short term, but in the long run, it’s the best move for the franchise.
Conclusion
The Lakers are now at a crossroads. The three steps described here are admittedly not popular choices, and chances are that none of them will occur. But whatever moves the team does end up making will have a huge impact on the future of the franchise.
All statistics courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com