Despite the failure that was the 2021-22 NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers, there were probably not many people who envisioned that the disappointing season would lead to reporters discussing trades involving four-time MVP LeBron James.
However, that is precisely the situation Lakers fans are looking at right now. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Jeanie Buss would not see James’ desire to play out the final season of his contract as a reason to consider trading him.
“If LeBron James ultimately decides against signing an extension with the Lakers in August, sources say Buss wouldn’t see his desire to play out the final season of his contract as a reason to consider trading him,” Amick wrote. “Without an extension, James’ current deal will expire after next season (in which he’s owed $47.1 million).”
So, while sports pundit Stephen A. Smith apparently believes that the Lakers should consider trading the superstar away, it appears that cooler heads within the Lakers organization have not reached that conclusion.
After all, James was one of the only positives for the Lakers during the 2021-22 season. Despite the fact that the Lakers failed to even advance to the play-in tournament, James still had a very impressive season.
In 56 games, he averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. While the Lakers obviously had problems during their most recent campaign, James certainly was not one of them.
For the Lakers, the hope has to be that James will continue his age-defying career next season. The team will also hope to see big man Anthony Davis return to full health and stay healthy. If those two things happen, the Lakers should be able to rebound nicely from the utter failure that the 2021-22 season was.
