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LeBron James and Anthony Davis demand urgent Lakers action over major concern

LeBron and Davis are desperate to win another NBA championship together but are concerned about the current rotation.

Anthony Davis y LeBron James, jugadores de Los Angeles Lakers, ante Sacramento Kings.
EZRA SHAWAFP

Raise your hand if you’ve seen this movie before: LeBron James and Anthony Davis want reinforcements because they believe there’s still a chance to win another title together with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers' current NBA conundrum

Meanwhile, the Lakers’ front office is being extremely cautious. They have little to negotiate with now or build with later, and the fear (similar to what’s happening with the Warriors, each with their own specifics) is that they might give up valuable assets (mainly draft picks) that will neither make the team a definite contender now, nor will be available when needed to build a future without two of their stars.

LeBron has, of course, just turned 40 and has a player option at the end of the season. Davis will turn 32 in March but has signed an extension through 2028.

Aside from some second-round picks, the Lakers have first-round picks for 2029 and 2031, and another in 2030 if they don’t combine it with either of the other two. They can also offer swaps with their 2026, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2031 picks.

The waters are churning because the season has now passed its midpoint, heading towards the All-Star break, and the trade deadline is just around the corner: February 6.

The Lakers are doing well, better than last season (currently 24-18, compared to 21-21 then) and are fifth in the Western Conference. They are a good team, but one that is unlikely to become a true championship contender with just minor tweaks like the one made at the end of December: Dorian Finney-Smith arrived (along with Shake Milton) in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks.

So, what’s the next step? That’s the question. LeBron and Davis are doing what they do at this time of year: stirring the pot, making it clear they don’t just want a “good” end to the season. Instead, they are pushing for the Lakers to make moves to give them the best possible chance in the playoffs.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis' Lakers concerns

A few days ago, Shams Charania (ESPN) reported that the two stars were increasingly concerned about the situation as the deadline approached: “James and Davis are growing more worried and have less faith in the Lakers’ ability to improve the rotation with the first-round picks they have to trade. Both have made it clear they want to compete for another championship and still believe that with two well-chosen players, they could achieve it.”

After the disappointing loss to the Clippers on January 20, LeBron said they “had no margin for error” and always had to be at a perfect level to win top-tier games “with the team as it’s currently built.”

What LeBron and Davis say the Lakers need

The next chapter of the story came in Charania’s interview with Davis. The message was the same, with the added point that, once again, the forward made it clear he would prefer to have a high-level center next to him so he could play more minutes as a power forward: We need another big man. For me, it’s always been best to have a center next to me and be able to play the four.”

Anthony Davis pointed to the 2020 Lakers championship team as the perfect example of what he and LeBron need around them: a very physical team with size and good defenders who can spread the floor.

Back then, they had true centers like JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, allowing Davis to play mostly as a power forward and occasionally as an interior anchor when the game required it.

“We know that worked, and on that team, I played the four. Now we believe we’re not far off as a team. LeBron and I are highly motivated to try to win another title. We want to win for the city because in 2020 we couldn’t have a parade due to the pandemic. And to stop the talk about the bubble asterisk. We’re just one or two pieces away, I truly believe that.”

Which players could the Lakers target?

The realistic list of options is what it is: good choices that seem too expensive like Walker Kessler or Jakob Poeltl, players who appear to be in decline such as Kelly Olynyk and Clint Capela, veterans who aren’t exactly defensive specialists like Jonas Valanciunas and Nikola Vucevic, and other options including Robert Williams, who could fit well but comes with the risk of recurring injury issues.

After a decisive win against the Celtics, always a special victory in the Lakers’ environment, Davis reiterated what he had previously told Charania: “We always want to think we can be champions. That it’s within reach. I believe our front office is working on it, for sure. Rob Pelinka is always trying to make the team the best it can be. We can only go out on the court and play. Whatever happens, we have to compete with the players in the locker room. I don’t know what will happen, I know the phones are ringing, but we can only compete with what we have and try to win basketball games.”

Davis emphasized the direction he believes the reinforcement policy should take: “Defensively, if we have another big guy, as we’ve seen with Jaxson Hayes, we can be more disruptive. Offensively, it allows me to move more. Until 2021, I hadn’t basically played as a pure center, only in stretches of games. I was a power forward. So, for most of my career, I’ve been a power forward. And I think you can see how it worked, I think I’m more effective that way. Playing as a pure center has its advantages and disadvantages. But the front office knows this, I’ve told them every year since I arrived. It’s nothing new. Personally, I think I’m a better player if I spend more time as a power forward.”

Original article written by Juanma Rubio, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.

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