NBA legend Charles Oakley thinks that LeBron James should request a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers in order to win another championship.
Oakley appeared on Club Shay Shay, which is hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, and explained why he thinks James should request a deal to either the Phoenix Suns or Philadelphia 76ers.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Oakley said. “He may need to get out of L.A. He needs a ring. He might need to leave to get it. Two places he could probably get it is Philadelphia or Phoenix.”
The Suns are currently the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference this season, and the Sixers are the No. 2 seed in the East at this point in the campaign.
Philadelphia brought in a second star to play alongside Joel Embiid when it traded for James Harden at this year’s trade deadline, and it could be a place where James could compete for his fifth NBA title.
Right now, James and the Lakers are struggling to stay in the playoff picture, as they are the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is just 30-41 on the season with 11 games to play.
James is still playing at an elite level in the 2021-22 campaign, as he is averaging 29.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc.
It’s hard to see the Lakers trading James unless he forces his way out, but the four-time champion certainly would have options to chase a title elsewhere if that became the case.
The Lakers won a title with James in the 2019-20 season, but they are in danger of having another early exit in the playoffs this season after getting bounced in the first round by the Suns in the 2020-21 campaign.
