The Los Angeles Lakers suffered the biggest possible loss that the team could have against the Atlanta Hawks. The result of the game did not matter. What mattered was the fact that LeBron left the game early and did not return.
It was then reported that LeBron suffered a high ankle sprain. Typically, the recovery time for a high ankle sprain starts at six weeks and could go as long as 3-4 months. LeBron appears to be closer to that six-week window.
This leaves the Lakers without either of their star players. Anthony Davis has missed most of the year with Achilles Tendonosis and his return date has been pushed back multiple times. Achilles injuries are serious and the Lakers are right to be as cautious as possible.
This was the last thing the team needed. LeBron was keeping this team atop the Western Conference and without him, we could see the Lakers fall in the standings… hard. The Lakers are only six games ahead of the eighth-seeded Dallas Mavericks.
The team should be fully healthy for the NBA Playoffs and when healthy they are still one of the favorites to win the NBA Title. However, the last thing the Lakers need is to fall to a lower seed and have to play a team like the Utah Jazz or Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
Thus, the team’s desire to make a move before the NBA Trade Deadline may have grown even further. The Lakers were likely going to make a move before. With LeBron out, the Lakers need all the help they can get.
The Los Angeles Lakers won’t come close to replacing LeBron James, but this does create new potential trade targets.
Dennis Schroder is the team’s only facilitator and he has been rather inconsistent at times. The Lakers may look to add another ball-handler that can help spearhead the offense, as well as a scorer to bring off the bench to add as much as possible in the coming weeks.
Here are 2 new trade targets that the Los Angeles Lakers could consider with LeBron James injured.