Any team that has LeBron James and Anthony Davis should be a unit that can challenge for an NBA championship. The duo has already proven capable of doing so back in 2020. However, things have not been as simple since that title in the NBA Bubble.
Untimely injuries, poor roster moves, unsatisfactory coaching, and other factors have all contributed to the Los Angeles Lakers having won only one championship during this era of the storied franchise's history. It feels fair to ponder whether the front office still believes in the group they currently have.
Lakers' approach before NBA Trade Deadline could be small scale
The Athletic's Jovan Buha recently spoke out on what he has heard regarding the Lakers' plans before the NBA Trade Deadline on an episode of Buha's Block. The Lakers reporter suggested that Los Angeles may not have anything major brewing.
"My sense lately, that I've been hearing, has been trending more toward them making a smaller move and probably using second-round draft capital and the issue there is that their second-round draft capital isn't really worth that much because it's their pick and the Clippers' pick.Jovan Buha
Both of those picks are projected right now to be between like 45 and 52, depending on where those two teams finish in the standings. ... You typically want a first half of the second round type [of] pick."
Buha then followed that up with a strong assessment of the situation.
"If they don't use the first round pick, or they don't go and get a starting level or high-end bench guy type at a minimum, ... I would then view that as they don't believe in this group. They don't believe in the LeBron, AD core anymore.Jovan Buha
They can say whatever they want about it, but actions speak louder than words. ... They did make a nice move flipping DLO [D'Angelo Russell] for DFS [Dorian Finney-Smith], but ... that was part one. There needs to be a part two, if not a part three. If they don't do that part two or three, then I think it's more of a half measure than a full measure going all in."
Buha's take has a lot of validity to it. The Lakers currently occupy the sixth seed in the Western Conference. They are only two games back of the Denver Nuggets for a top four seed in the conference. That gap should be one that can be closed with small improvements.
However, the push to join a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder as a genuine contender is one that requires more action than what is currently being suggested by Buha as the internal plans leading up to the deadline.
Davis is performing at an All-NBA level once again in 2024-25. The argument that James may not be in the same elite company he once was is a valid one. On the other hand, LeBron has been known to conserve himself in the regular season before. The all-time great has also displayed flashes of still being able to flip the switch when needed. It should go without saying that switch will be on come playoff time.
There probably could not be a more frustrating outcome imaginable than one similar to that of what transpired last year in the NBA Playoffs for the Lakers. James and Davis both looked strong in their series against the Denver Nuggets. The supporting cast was not able to adequately support their superstars' efforts. Rob Pelinka and the front office would be wise to consider all options of avoiding that lackluster outcome.