LeBron James needs more help. It is a familiar refrain that has been heard throughout James‘ career, even as he has ended up a winner with each of his NBA teams — the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Lakers, where James has played since 2019.
James led the Lakers to an NBA title during the COVID-19 pandemic “bubble” in 2020, but Los Angeles has not returned to the Finals since. The Lakers this season do not seem to be going anywhere fast — despite James recently celebrating his 40th birthday. As the clock ticks down on James’ legendary career, The King wants one more shot at a ring — his fifth — and has recruited Anthony Davis to join his cause.
Could LA make a play yet for Jimmy Butler?
In advance of the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 6, ESPN insider Shams Charania has reported that James and Davis are lobbying Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to push all his chips to the center of the table. They would like Pelinka to consider trading two future first-round picks for a player such as Jimmy Butler, who appears likely to leave the Miami Heat next month amidst a standoff over his future.
Charania wrote that “James and Davis 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.”
James and Lakers head coach J.J. Redick recently bemoaned the Lakers’ slim margin for error given their present roster construction. Los Angeles is sixth in the Western Conference with a 23-18 record, but the 11th-place Golden State Warriors are only 2.5 games behind — and if the Lakers finish lower than 10th, they cannot even play in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament for teams seeded 7th through 10th.
Los Angeles’ biggest problem is on the defensive end, where the Lakers rank 23rd out of 30 teams in points allowed per 100 possessions. A previous trade sending D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets for Shake Milton and Dorian Finney-Smith has done little to aid Redick‘s rotation of players, while LeBron‘s son Bronny is too raw to contribute in meaningful games.
It seems clear that the Lakers will need to do something to placate their two stars in the coming weeks, or they might blow their final opportunity to win a championship with James and Davis together on the roster.