The Los Angeles Lakers have hit the skids. The time is right for them to reshuffle the deck and start fresh. And the biggest step in that process is trading LeBron James this summer.
This season has certainly not turned out the way any Lakers fan hoped. In the offseason, GM Rob Pelinka acquired veterans Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, along with emerging stars Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk, and re-signed the improving Talen Horton-Tucker. Many fans enjoyed visions of hanging the 18th championship banner from the then Staples Center rafters this June.
Instead, the Lakers are barely showing a heartbeat. They have lost 11 of their last 14 games and are mired in 9th place. For the second straight year, they’ll be facing a play-in game merely to qualify for the playoffs.
It’s true that injuries wrecked whatever chances the Lakers legitimately had. Anthony Davis went down twice and has played only 37 games. The “Big Three” of James, Davis and Westbrook have played together in only 18 games.
Davis struggled early before being felled by his first injury, a sprained MCL. Then, just as he was starting to look like the AD of 2020, he suffered a severe mid-foot sprain, knocking him out of action for a month or more.
MUST-READ: Anthony Davis injury history and updates
But the dismal performance of the team can’t be blamed solely on injuries. The Lakers desperately lack young, athletic talent. Almost all their promising young players were moved or traded away to make way for James, Davis and Westbrook. So were most of their top draft picks over the next five years, making it extremely difficult to fill that energy gap.
As fans are painfully aware, Westbrook has never fit in with his LA teammates. He is averaging 18 points, his lowest output since 2010, his second year in the league. It may surprise many to know that most of Russ’ other stats are close to his career averages. He is shooting 43% from the field, although just 29% on three-pointers, with 7 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 4 turnovers a game.
But more importantly, Westbrook seems to lack confidence and often looks tentative on the court. And it also appears that, at age 33, he has started to lose a bit of the superior athleticism that was his trademark throughout his entire NBA career.
Meanwhile, James has valiantly tried to make up for team weaknesses. He is averaging 29 PPG, his highest since 2010, and is attempting 21 shots a game, his most since 2008 while playing 37 minutes a game, his highest in his four Lakers seasons.
But LeBron hasn’t been able to lead the Lakers to victory often enough. And in recent weeks the 37-year-old has often faded in the fourth quarter. Perhaps he has tired under the increased load, but as crunch time arrived with the game still up for grabs, James’ missed shots and turnovers have escalated.
During the recent All-Star Break, LeBron made a series of comments that were widely interpreted to show he was already planning his exit from LA. He talked about his desire to play with whatever team drafts his son, Bronny when he enters the NBA. He praised the acumen of Thunders GM Sam Presti, which seemed to be a pointed jab at Pelinka. And the Akron, Ohio native mentioned that the door was not closed for a third stint in Cleveland.
Once play resumed he tried to downplay his comments, contending that he never meant to knock the Lakers. But James knows better than anyone that everything he says will be analyzed by fans and media. It’s safe to assume that he knew exactly what impact his remarks would have and that he used his words intentionally.
After the recent loss to Dallas, LeBron maintained that the Lakers aren’t dead yet, that they can still turn things around. But the team has shown little signs of life. Only the most diehard fans believe they will stage a comeback.
If this season is indeed all but over, what are the chances the team will be any better next year? They’ll face the same cap problems and will have to be extremely lucky to re-sign Monk. Once again Pelinka will be forced to sign veterans whose best days are long past.
Everybody expects Westbrook to exercise his $47-million player option this summer. He recently indicated that he and the team might have mutual interest in a trade. But realistically, what value could the Lakers expect to get in return? Pelinka rightfully turned down a trade for John Wall because Houston insisted that LA had to attach their #1 pick in 2027. Is it reasonable to think that any team will offer anything better?
LeBron is under contract next season for $44.7 million. He is also eligible this summer for a two-year extension. That would take him through 2024, which is just when Bronny could be drafted.
So what are the Lakers to do? Is there any feasible solution?
This summer, the Los Angeles Lakers can choose one of two paths:
Path A would act on three hopes: 1) that James continues to defy Father Time, 2) that AD stays healthy, and 3) that Pelinka can surround the duo with enough supporting pieces to capture one more title before LeBron’s skills begin to deteriorate. That sure sounds like a whole lot of hoping.
Path B would recognize that LeBron helped the Lakers win one title in 2020, the big one that tied the Celtics. But to expect anything more is fool’s gold. It also realizes that he represents perhaps their only chance to bring in an infusion of energetic, athletic young talent that the team urgently needs.
This path concludes that the time has come to cut bait and trade LeBron James while he still has high trade value, before he walks away in free agency and the Lakers get nothing in return.
LA would have to take back some highly paid, probably under-achieving veteran, presumably with just a year left on his contract. But they should also be able to get at least a couple of good athletic young players and/or high draft picks.
Back in 2004, when Jerry Buss was still the Lakers’ owner, he made a tough decision that he thought was necessary. The circumstances were entirely different, but he ordered then-GM Mitch Kupchak to trade away fan favorite but fading superstar Shaquille O’Neal. The Lakers suffered for a few years but ended up winning titles in 2009 and 2010.
Jerry’s daughter Jeanie Buss will soon have an opportunity to show her strength by looking longer term and making a difficult decision of her own. She should instruct Pelinka to take trade LeBron James this summer. Otherwise, the team will likely be left in shambles when James inevitably leaves anyway. And perhaps history just might repeat itself.
All statistics courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com