LeBron James may need to demand a trade away from the Lakers
It may be time for LeBron James to demand a trade away from the Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers are old, brittle, and bad. Their elderly roster has hindered them to the point where they have fallen, and they can not get up. While it’s expected that the team is going to explore possible Russell Westbrook trades, that seems highly unlikely to happen.
If LeBron wants to win another ring, perhaps it might have to be on a different roster. Taking it a step further, maybe LeBron needs to demand a trade.
The Lakers season has been a nightmare. They are below .500, a bad defensive team, and often injury – all while LeBron has continued to extend his prime, playing at an elite level during his age-37 season.
LeBron is currently second in the NBA in scoring at 29 points per game while averaging 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
However, LeBron only defines his seasons by one thing, rings. As the Lakers are currently constructed, they will not win a championship. Westbrook plays too inconsistently and recklessly to keep the Lakers in games. The Lakers’ role players have been mainly disappointing. Talen Horton-Tucker’s trade value has plummeted with no teams interested, even with a first-rounder attached.
If the Lakers can’t trade Westbrook, and nobody wants THT, then how can LeBron win a championship this year? Well, he can’t, well not in Los Angeles. LeBron could demand a trade to help put himself in a better situation to win a ring this year or even next year.
Many teams would risk everything to acquire LeBron. Especially teams that would be exchanging distressed assets in return. LeBron could easily set up a third act in Cleaveland as the Cavs have been one of the biggest surprises this year.
The Cavs could trade Kevin Love and Collin Sexton to the Lakers. This would give LA a young promising player in Sexton, and Love’s contract ends the same summer as Westbrook’s. This would be a win-win, The Cavs don’t want to pay Sexton, and the Lakers have little youth for their eventual rebuild post-LeBron.
Another enticing opportunity would be if LeBron demanded a trade to Philly. A LeBron trade could return Ben Simmons for the Lakers. A possible LeBron and Joel Embiid combo could be everything basketball fans dreamed up AD and LeBron could be.
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When LeBron looks at the rest of the league, he knows even a healthy LA team will not compete for a championship. While LeBron has shown he is more than an athlete in many ways and that his interests align with the businesses found in Los Angeles, LeBron is still a basketball player carving out his legacy, and his legacy can not grow if he can not compete.