If he gave everything he had, LeBron James did not prevent the sinking of the Lakers this season. A famous analyst believes that it will not work out for the Californians, and asks outright that they part with it… for the good of the King.
33 wins for 49 losses in 2021-22, it is quite simply the worst collective record in the career of LeBron James. It hurts all the more because he had a supposed superteam around him, but it never knew how to meet expectations, between distressing level of play and a mess of injuries. The winger was dominant offensively to the point of dropping his best scoring numbers in nearly 15 years, but it was far from enough to allow the Lakers to stay the course.
As a result, the Chosen One missed a great opportunity to fight for the title, and at 37, he won’t have many in the future. However, many are those who doubt that he can win a fifth ring with the Purples and Golds before retiring. Stephen A. Smith is one of them and therefore asked the Angelinos to part ways with him. According to him, it would be a mark of respect for the number 6, because there are no guarantees within the workforce in place:
Stephen A. Smith calls for LeBron James to leave
I think the Los Angeles Lakers should strongly consider trading @KingJames. pic.twitter.com/GfyiArSIyI
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 4, 2022
The Lakers should strongly consider trading LeBron James. That’s what I believe, even though I know it will make some people scream. I also know he’s 37 and just had his 19th year in the league, averaging 30 points and 8 rebounds. But this is not to criticize or discredit LeBron. The Lakers are just not going anywhere at this point.
Russell Westbrook has clearly lost something. Do I think he’s going to come back and redeem himself to some degree? We do not know. I know for a fact from talking to executives that you can’t value Anthony Davis that much. He is still injured and his health is unreliable. Trading LeBron is the only way to immediately respect his greatness.
In fact, there is very little chance that GM Rob Pelinka and his staff will make such a decision, since the King is still a magnet for players. However, a disappointing new campaign could push the player himself to set sail, which has been rumored behind the scenes in the league for some time. Especially since with his son Bronny who will arrive in the NBA in 2024, the winger has already claimed that he wanted to end his career by his side.
Stephen A. Smith does not want to see LeBron James bogged down a little more with the Lakers, in whom he has no confidence for the future. However, it is hard to believe that the Purples and Golds will accede to his request. On the other hand, seeing him leave in a year is another story…
