Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom had some interesting thoughts on how the Lakers can improve their roster in the 2022-23 season.
With the Lakers starting the season 0-3, there are questions about whether or not this roster can contend for a playoff spot, never mind an NBA title in the 2022-23 campaign. With LeBron James still playing at a high level, it would make sense for the Lakers to go all in to try to win another title while he is still on the team.
Odom was asked if he thought the Lakers’ current roster was a contender to which he said the team will need to make “some” trades.
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“I think that they will have to make some trades to really shake things up,” Odom said. “I think they need to make a trade that probably most people probably wouldn’t agree with.”
The former Lakers forward was asked what the trade would look like, and he offered a bit of a shocking answer as to who he thinks the Lakers should move.
“I think they would have to trade Anthony Davis,” Odom said.
Odom said that he didn’t want to disrespect Davis, who is one of his favorite players. However, he cited Davis’ durability as a reason why the Lakers should consider moving on from the eight-time All-Star.
“The last two years Anthony Davis played, I don’t know if he played 82 games,” Odom said.
Odom is right, as Davis has played in just 79 games for the Lakers since the start of the 2020-21 season. Davis was limited to just 40 games in the 2021-22 campaign.
The one-time NBA champion played well when he was healthy, averaging 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 53.2 percent from the field.
So far this season, Davis has been a steady contributor on offense for the Lakers, averaging 24.7 points per game. The Lakers could probably get a decent package for Davis if they traded him, but it’s unclear if that would make them closer to a contender than they are now.
The last time that Davis and James were both healthy for a full season, the Lakers went on to win the title in the NBA’s Orlando, Fla. bubble during the 2019-20 campaign. Even though it was a few seasons ago, the Lakers know that the potential with James and Davis leading the way is that they hang another banner.
The bigger issue is likely in the team’s supporting cast, as the Lakers are one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA so far this season.
3-Point Shooting By Team. pic.twitter.com/H1WRYVUL33
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) October 24, 2022
Odom, who was teammates with the legendary Kobe Bryant, believes that Bryant would have wanted Davis traded for his inability to stay on the floor.
“I know Kobe Bryant would say, ‘Yo trade that m———- if he ain’t gon’ be out there,’” Odom said.
It’s certainly a fair argument against Davis, but the Lakers would lose out on a top-tier talent (when healthy) by trading him.
If the team wants to maximize the championship window with James on the roster, trading away the second best player on the team would be a huge gamble. While Odom thinks it’s the right move, it’s hard to see Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka entertaining a deal for Davis given the roster’s current makeup.
