Getty Anthony Davis and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Things have been looking up for the Los Angeles Lakers as of late. A great trade deadline has put them in a solid position to compete for the playoffs this year despite their ugly start to the year. However, there are still some questions to be had about their future.
If things don’t go well down the stretch of the season, the Lakers could look to make changes this summer, and if LeBron James grows tired of losing, he could always look to leave LA. However, according to sources who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, the only way James would leave the Lakers is if Anthony Davis got moved, too.
“He has an obligation to Anthony Davis, and the only way he gets dealt is if Davis gets dealt, too,” a Western Conference executive told Deveney. “They do not necessarily have to go to the same place, but LeBron is largely responsible for AD being in Los Angeles and is not going to abandon him there. So, if Davis can go to [the] Chicago [Bulls] or [the] Milwaukee [Bucks] or somewhere like that, where he would be happy, then LeBron could look to go elsewhere, too.”
James recruited Davis to the Lakers not too long ago, and their partnership brought the Lakers a championship in 2020. However, since that title run, things haven’t gone well for LA.
All that being said, if the Lakers make the playoffs this year and show signs of progress, it seems unlikely that James and/or Davis would leave. However, the idea of James wanting to leave can’t be taken out of the question considering how rough they have played for the past couple of seasons.
Anthony Davis Takes Blame for Lakers Loss
In other news, the Lakers dropped a game to the New York Knicks on Sunday night. After the contest, Davis took the blame for the defeat, as he struggled on the offensive end of the court.
“My play,” Davis said when asked for the reason for the defeat via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I played terrible. Couldn’t find my shot: free throws, layups, everything. The guys did their job. I didn’t do my job tonight.”
Dennis Schroder Shows Love to Anthony Davis
However, Davis’ teammates refused to let him take all of the blame for the loss. He struggled on offense, but Dennis Schroder came to his defense. After the game, Schroder spoke to the media, noting that when the Lakers lose, it’s on everybody. He wouldn’t let Davis take accountability for the defeat on his own.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s everybody. It’s everybody in this locker room. I mean, I can say the same thing,” Schröder said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “When I came in, I had two quick turnovers. It’s on everybody. And when we lose, we lose as a team. If we win, we win as a team. But AD, he tries to be great at all times, and he’d been, I mean, 90% of the time, great for us. And I mean, that you miss free throws there. I mean, that happens. We’re all humans. And we can’t control if a shot goes in. But everything else, defensively, he did a great job still. Even in the second half on Julius Randle. So, he can’t put it on himself.”