Recently, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith has suggested that the Los Angeles Lakers strongly consider trading LeBron James this offseason. The Lakers struggled badly this season and got eliminated even before the playoffs. The problem for LA returning back to LeBron James and Anthony Davis centered-team is that it may not guarantee a much better situation than the franchise found themselves in this season. At the same time, the Lakers do not have any other valuable assets which could help them out of the jam the Lakers are in.
The NBA analyst commented that the Lakers presently constructed roster is going nowhere. Russell Westbrook failed to perform consistently and secure a place for himself for the next season. Russell has become a depressed asset for the franchise due to his declining performance and a 47.1 million player option this summer. Moreover, the Lakers gave up most of their trade resources to get Davis and Westbrook.
Meanwhile, Davis missed 42 games in the 2021-22 season. He is an injury-prone player. And thus, the Lakers cannot rely on him. At the same time, other teams might not be interested in paying big bucks for a superstar player who missed more than half of the games this season. Davis is a big-time player and can do wonders on the field. But the aging veteran’s trade might not provide the Lakers the liberty they need to bring in future stars into their roster. Therefore, LeBron James is the only player on the team with extreme value. The Lakers might never get equitable compensation for the King’s greatness. But unfortunately, trading James could be the only chance the Lakers have to become immediately respectful with competition rising in the Western Conference.
Smith Advises LA To Trade LeBron James To Turn Things Around
NBA Analyst Steven A. Smith told on Wednesday that the LA Lakers should strongly consider trading LeBron James. Smith acknowledged the fact that LeBron is 37 and has averaged 30 points per game in his 19th season. However, the NBA analyst pointed out that if the team was better, James would have been the league MVP candidate without any doubt.
Moreover, James has one year left in his contract. The four-time NBA champ told before the All-Star Game that he might be interested in returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers someday. James wants to play with his son Bronny before he retires. Thus, there is no guarantee that the King will end his career in LA. And it would not be wise to let him leave as a free agent in 2023. Thus, it will be a tricky decision for Rob Pelinka to choose between keeping LeBron on the team or taking a different approach to winning another championship next season.