Is it time for the Los Angeles Lakers to trade Anthony Davis?
For as good as Anthony Davis has been for the Los Angeles Lakers over roughly the past two and a half seasons, I think it’s a fair question to ask whether the acquisition of Davis was somewhat disappointing.
The Lakers will take a championship every time, don’t get that twisted. Though, you can’t help but feel as if Davis’ overall impact, with the exception of one sensational run in the NBA bubble, has been somewhat underwhelming.
And to begin to understand that more when you realize that Davis wasn’t brought here to play second fiddle to LeBron James.
Instead, Davis was acquired with the hope of sorely taking over the reins from LeBron as the Lakers’ best player in an effort to extend LeBron’s prime and ultimately maintain the team’s place as a contender in the West.
Simply put, that hasn’t happened.
Davis hasn’t been the player that many expected him to be three years into this experiment and has even taken somewhat of a step back this season. So much so that if LeBron doesn’t play, the Lakers are a more high-profile version of the AD version of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Dating back to last season, the Lakers are 22–18 without Davis in the lineup but just 15-22 when LeBron sits.
That alone suggests that LeBron is clearly the more important player right now for the Lakers. But as LeBron prepares to turn 37 at the end of the month, that was never intended to be the case when Davis was originally acquired.
So if the Lakers truly wanted to extend LeBron’s career, there’s a chance that Davis is not the player to do so – and it’s certainly not Russell Westbrook.
So, in essence, the Lakers should still be trying to fin that player. That player which will act as a fountain of youth for LeBron. And if it’s not going to be Davis, and if Los Angeles is truly set on finding said player, maybe it’s time for the Lakers to explore the possibility of using their best asset to try and accomplish that goal.
Especially if they want LeBron to retire in Los Angeles. Acquiring Davis was never about winning one championship, but right now that’s what it looks like.
It may not be a popular opinion, but perhaps it’s time for the Lakers to trade Anthony Davis.