One could argue that the Los Angeles Lakers front office and specifically general manager Rob Pelinka have not given LeBron James and Anthony Davis ample opportunities to contend for championships in recent years.
Obviously the duo won a title in their first season together in 2020, but there have been plenty of struggles since then, headlined by the Russell Westbrook trade that went down during the 2021 offseason. That ended up setting L.A. back a season and a half, particularly with James wasting an All-NBA season in 2021-22 when the Lakers didn’t even make the playoffs.
Given the Lakers’ failure to construct a championship-contending team the last three seasons, there was speculation surrounding whether the 39-year-old would request a trade for the first time in his career. James’ former teammate and close friend Carmelo Anthony believed there was a possibility of that happening after the 2023-24 season, but that window is now shut, via 7PM in Brooklyn:
“LeBron makes the trades, so if he wants to get traded, he’ll get traded. I think that window closed shut. Like it was a point in time, maybe last year or little bit of time ago, where it was like, there was a thought that ‘Damn, this could be possibility.’ [Jonathan] Kuminga part of that trade now is a big headline. Right? Because he’s a major piece.”
With trade season unofficially kicking off on Dec. 15, there is cautious optimism that Pelinka will ultimately find a deal or two to improve the roster. However, that was the anticipation last trade deadline and this past offseason, and no moves were made.
Should the Lakers sit out another transaction period, things could get dicey. Having Davis and James as the foundation and opting not to make any deals to improve the roster could feel like a slap in the face to the championship duo.
Ultimately, the four-time champion decides on his future by having a no trade clause. But, if this team remains the same after Feb. 6, serious conversations need to be on where this partnership is going moving forward.
LeBron James humbled to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most minutes in NBA history
Now that LeBron James is in his 22nd season, there is not much left for the star to accomplish. Each additional year that James plays is another testament to his work ethic and ability to stay in game shape.
On Thursday, the all-time leading scorer surpassed Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most minutes in NBA history. James shared that he is humbled to pass Abdul-Jabbar and also discussed what this record meant to him.
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