The LA Lakers and LeBron James don’t seem all that happy together anymore, but does that mean the superstar should leave?
The LA Lakers and LeBron James have stirred up quite a bit of drama this offseason. As the Lakers look to usher in the Luka Doncic era, James’ role on the team has become the subject of great debate.
It’s clear that the Lakers are prioritizing Doncic over James going forward. For a once-in-a-lifetime superstar like LeBron James, that has to be a tough pill to swallow.
James wants to compete for an NBA championship before retiring, but the Lakers just haven’t made the roster moves for that to be feasible as things stand.
The Lakers and LeBron James are committed to each other for the time being, but that hasn’t done much to slow down any trade rumors.
But is that the best course of action for either side? Well, according to one NBA analyst, James and the Lakers have a better chance of achieving their goals together.
Clutch Points’ LA Lakers expert Anthony Irwin put out an article where he discussed the prospect of LeBron James parting ways with the LA Lakers.
LeBron hasn’t liked the team’s direction since they traded for Russell Westbrook. Irwin feels that James and the Lakers are better off together, as they have a stronger shot at competing for the NBA championship with each other than they do apart.
“On LeBron James’ side, there is real frustration over the Lakers’ lack of direction since the Russell Westbrook trade.
“The whole thing has become pretty awkward, and yet the reality is they’re both better off with each other.
“There is no trade the Lakers would make that would give James a better chance at a title than he has playing with Doncic.”
Irwin also theorized that, should the LA Lakers start the season strong and go on a run, LeBron James and Luka Doncic could pressure the front office to make a big trade.
“One thing to keep a close eye on as we get closer to the season: If the Lakers’ schedule is backloaded as it typically is and they go on a run, I’m really curious whether Luka and LeBron will push the FO to buy into the opportunity in front of them.”
If the Lakers get a strong schedule to start the season or go on a run by December, things could get interesting.
The leverage of their positive performances would be strong. And Luka Doncic and LeBron James could use it as evidence of championship potential.
However, Rob Pelinka is notoriously stingy. And he might not want to add assets to what would be a winning formula at that time.
