Getty LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James has one year left on his contract after this season. He’s eligible to sign an extension this summer, but there have been no rumblings about that taking place.
LeBron is still arguably the best player in the NBA despite being 37 and in his 19th campaign. The four-time MVP averaged 29.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the first half of the season and shot 52.2% from the field, 35.3% from beyond the arc and 74.8% from the free-throw line.
However, despite LeBron putting up incredible numbers, the Lakers went only 27-31 before the All-Star break. They are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings and on pace to participate in the play-in tournament for the second year in a row.
LeBron isn’t getting any younger and he could leave the Lakers in the summer of 2023. That’s why Los Angeles Times insider Bill Plaschke, who has been covering the purple and gold since 1996, is proposing a radical idea to save the LakeShow.
Plaschke: ‘The Lakers Must Trade LeBron James’
Plaschke says if the Lakers want to avoid years of mediocrity and win another title in the foreseeable future, they must trade LeBron this summer.
“At this point in his career, there really is only one way LeBron James can help the Lakers win a championship. They must trade him,” Plaschke wrote. “It’s their best chance at getting the fastest start on their inevitable rebuild. It’s their last chance to fix the Lakers brand before it sinks into what could be a decade of mediocrity.
“Certainly, the mere act of saying it — trade LeBron James! — sounds crazy. It seems absurd. It feels like a hot take. But the cold truth is, the Lakers are not about one player, they’ve never been about one player, they’ve endured and preserved and triumphed through sudden retirements and stunning trades and awful injuries.”
Plaschke argues that the Lakers won’t win another championship with LeBron since the players around him aren’t good enough and there are no assets on the roster to use to improve the team via trades. The legendary Los Angeles Times columnist thinks the Lakers should trade the King this offseason and get draft picks and young talent in return so they don’t run the risk of losing the future Hall of Famer for nothing in 2023.
“James is one of the few players in the NBA who could instantly turn a championship contender — which the Lakers are decidedly not — into champions,” Plaschke wrote. “He’s not built for the long haul, but as a one-year rental, even at his age, he could command a bounty that could set up the Lakers to become something they haven’t been in years.”
LeBron has only been traded once in his iconic career. After he signed a four-year deal with the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Heat agreed to a sign-and-trade deal.
During All-Star weekend in Cleveland, LeBron told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic he hasn’t closed the door on playing for the Cavaliers again. The four-time Finals MVP also said his final season in the NBA will be played with a particular teammate, which could be a major hint he won’t retire with the Lakers.
LeBron: ‘My Last Year Will Be Played with My Son’
LeBron admitted to Lloyd that he wants to play with his son, Bronny James. Bronny won’t be draft-eligible until the 2024 NBA Draft.
“My last year will be played with my son,” LeBron said. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
The Lakers can’t afford to lose LeBron and get nothing in return in 2023. With that said, they should take Plaschke’s advice and trade the Akron Hammer this offseason.