Plaschke: Sinking Lakers franchise must throw LeBron James and Anthony Davis overboard

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LeBron James sits on the bench before a game at Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 21. With the Lakers mired in a slow start to the season, what comes next for James and Anthony Davis? (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Dear LeBron, … ask out.

Dear A.D., … follow him.

This is my Christmas wish for a Lakers franchise that has lost the town to the Dodgers, lost the season because of a lousy roster, and just lost by 41 points to Pat Riley.

After a quarter of the season, the Lakers are no better than a bottom seed in the Western Conference, surely headed for a third consecutive appearance in the play-in tournament, seemingly destined for a second consecutive first-round knockout.

It’s over. Already. There is no hope. Again. With no first-round draft pick and suffocating salaries, they might not be any better next year. Really.

Amid a 3-7 skid that was tempered only briefly by a 107-98 victory over a horrible Portland Trail Blazers team Sunday, there is dread and desperation among the Lakers masses, which has led to two legitimate questions somebody in the organization should be asking.

Read more: Playing without LeBron James, Lakers have several heroes in win over Portland

Does LeBron James really want to end his career mired in mediocrity? Does Anthony Davis really want to spend the rest of his prime in the shadows of irrelevancy?

With the Lakers’ slide rolling into a Dec. 15 landmark — that’s the date when teams can first trade players like James who signed new contracts last summer — the timing is right for the most obvious truth.

The best way the two leading Lakers can help this team is to willingly leave it.

If James relents on his no-trade clause, the Lakers can send him to a contender for one last hurrah.

If Davis gives his approval — the Lakers don’t need it and could trade him today since he signed his contract in 2023, but they would want it because that’s how they treat superstars — the Lakers could send him somewhere that can give him a chance at another ring before his body breaks down for the last time.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis grabs a rebound in front of Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/plaschke-sinking-lakers-franchise-must-120026624.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-12-09 12:00:00

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