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Lakers: 3 rosters that were abandoned when LeBron James left

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on February 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. 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. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on February 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. 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. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

3. The 2018-19 Cavaliers after LeBron James left (again):

This is the worst example of LeBron James leaving a roster deserted and hopefully, the Los Angeles Lakers do not end up like this. LeBron has been great at knowing when teams are no longer geared to win an NBA Championship and this was a lot of his doing.

The Cavaliers went all-in to please LeBron in his second stint, making trade after trade to bring a variety of different veterans into the fold. If one veteran didn’t work they were shipped off for the next. Sounds like what the Lakers want to do this year and next year.

The end result was a completely depleted roster that is just now turning around in 2022 because of the Cavaliers making savvy draft choices (looking at you, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley). The main starting five the year after LeBron left was as followed:

  • PG: Collin Sexton
  • SG: Rodney Hood
  • SF: Cedi Osman
  • PF: Larry Nance Jr.
  • C: Tristan Thompson

Kevin Love only played in 21 games the year after LeBron left because of injury. After representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals the year prior this Cavaliers team won just 19 games and had the second-worst record in the NBA.

The Cavaliers went 19-46 the following season to once again have the second-worst record in the NBA and last season the team went 22-50 for the fourth-worst record in the NBA. Finally, things have gotten better this season as the Cavaliers currently have a 35-23 record, but nobody is picking them to win the Finals let alone with a playoff series.

The funniest part about LeBron’s second stint with the Cavaliers was the fact that in his last season he (assumingly) convinced the Cavaliers to trade Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye to the Lakers for Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson. While this seemingly helped Cleveland at the time, it also opened up the cap space for the Lakers to afford LeBron and other role players.

50 greatest Lakers of all-time. dark. Next

Savvy, LeBron, Savvy.