It is no new information that the Lakers heavily depend on LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Both have been instrumental in helping the franchise win its last championship back in 2020 during the pandemic. But from then on, it has been only trouble and injury issues that hampered the following seasons. The Lakers could not manage to make the postseason last year.
A few weeks ago, LeBron James mentioned that he cannot sit out of back-to-back postseasons as “that’s not in his DNA.” But he sustained a tendon injury in his right foot against the Mavericks. As per the recent reports, James will probably have to sit out for the rest of the month. Hopefully, the King may return for a few remaining games of the regular season. But it might get too late by then. Meanwhile, AD is trying his best to keep the team up. However, he is unable to maintain the streak as the Lakers have lost two games back-to-back recently. Amid this, triggering news is coming up, which could see a probable change in the Lakers’ relationship with Anthony Davis.
Is Lakers Planning To Trade Anthony Davis?
The Lakers have just lost another game in a row. The previous match that the purple and gold brigade lost was against the Rockets, the second lowest-ranking team in the Western Conference. Albeit, last night, the Lakers lost to the sixth-seed Mavericks. It was a close game as the Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles side 111-110. Before this game, the Lakers were the 9th seed, but they fell back to the 10th now. Now, only 11 games remaining, and the Lakers have a good chance of not making the postseason again. If that happens, it might prove that there is something fundamentally wrong within the franchise at present. The duo of James and Davis then may opt to leave the team for good.
It is understandable that players of that caliber hope to win championships. But if the team does not manage to make the postseason, then it makes things very difficult. The Lakers might even think about changing the roster and bringing in other star players like Kyrie Irving in exchange for Davis. Although if he leaves, LeBron James won’t stay behind because he feels responsible for bringing AD to the Lakers. After the successful 2020 season, AD and LeBron James have missed a lot of games due to injuries. The Lakers had to suffer a lot for their absence.
Will LeBron James Also Leave Along With AD?
In the current season, AD had missed almost twenty games, and now LeBron James is going to miss a whole month. Hence, looking at the big picture, it might be profitable for the two stars and the franchise not to extend their contracts. The teams that will be a good fit for Anthony Davis are the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks. Chicago would be great as a homecoming for him. If the Lakers trade AD to Chicago, then they can buy Zachary LaVine in return or perhaps Patrick Williams. But in case of a trade deal with the Bucks would be tricky because the Lakers won’t be excited to buy Jrue Holiday or even Khris Middleton.
For LeBron James, there are a few more options available, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks, and the Dallas Mavericks. The Cavaliers would be the likeliest franchise for LeBron James to go to. With both the Heat and the Cavaliers, King James has a great history. But the players in the Knicks and the Mavericks are absolute favorites of King James. LeBron James would love to play with Luka Doncic. However, whatever happens in the following trades will depend on what happens in the current season.
