Los Angeles Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are concerned about the franchise’s ability to make trades to upgrade the roster, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“The Los Angeles Lakers (23-18) are sitting in a perilous position, currently just a game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for sixth in the West, and the guaranteed playoff spot that comes with it,” Charania wrote. “Their two cornerstones — the 40-year-old LeBron James and Anthony Davis — continue to perform at elite levels, both almost certain to make another All-Star Game appearance next month in San Francisco.
“But with the Feb. 6 trade deadline a little more than two weeks away, league sources told ESPN that James and Davis are growing concerned about the Lakers’ ability to make significant roster upgrades with their two tradeable first-rounders. James, a four-time champion, and Davis, a one-time champ, have expressed that they want the franchise to make moves to contend for a championship, with the co-stars believing the Lakers are potentially a piece or two away, sources said.”
The Lakers have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but they needed to go through the league’s play-in tournament to get there. Los Angeles made the Western Conference Finals in the 2022-23 season as the No. 7 seed in the conference before losing to the Denver Nuggets.
Then, last season, it was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs (once again as the No. 7 seed) by Denver.
The Lakers did make a small move earlier this season, trading away guard D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal that brought guard Shake Milton and 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith back to Los Angeles.
While Finney-Smith gives the Lakers another proven perimeter defender that can knock down the 3, it may not be enough to get the team back to the NBA Finals. Los Angeles last made the championship series in the 2019-20 season when it defeated the Miami Heat in six games.
With James turning 40 last month, the Lakers likely don’t have much time left where the future Hall of Famer is still playing at an elite level. James has appeared in 38 games already this season and is averaging 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from 3-point range.
It’s understandable that the four-time champion would want the franchise to make a push to win a title this season, as it’s unclear how much longer he’ll have in his NBA career to compete for a championship.
Davis, 31, has also had a solid season, and he may feel that the Lakers’ best chance to win a title will come with James still on the roster. The nine-time All-Star is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 blocks per game this season.
The Lakers don’t have much time before the league’s Feb. 6 trade deadline to make a move that will push this current roster over the top in the West.