The Los Angeles Lakers are currently sitting at 41-32 and in ninth place in the NBA Western Conference standings. While the team has been a disappointment, record-wise, the Lakers are led by the dominant pairing of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. But former NBA shooting guard Jamal Crawford thinks that Los Angeles should look to trade Davis.
Appearing on ‘The Big Podcast' with Shaquille O'Neal, Crawford made his case:
“They don't have enough to even compete right now. And my thing is, if LeBron [James] is still your best player at this point, I’m looking at trading Anthony Davis.”
Jamal Crawford says the Lakers should trade AD 👀
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 28, 2024
Said Crawford on the Lakers' situation, “They don't have enough to even compete right now. And my thing is, if LeBron's still your best player at this point, I'm looking at trading Anthony Davis. I'm just telling you. You can get four or five pieces to go with him, that fit LeBron, if LeBron is still going to be your best player. But really, if I can get a Kyrie Irving type, they need another wing, a dominant wing scorer.”
It would be a risky move for the Lakers to trade Davis. James is 39 years old and, while he is still playing at an elite level, it's valid to wonder how much longer he'll be able to do so.
Should the Lakers trade Anthony Davis?
Davis is having another stellar season for the Lakers. He's averaging 24.7 points and 12.6 rebounds on the season so far. Additionally, Davis continues to play the high-level defense that he's known for -racking up 2.4 blocks per game.
Most importantly for Davis and the Lakers, he's played in 68 of the team's 73 games so far this season. As a player who has earned a reputation as fragile, Davis being available at this frequency is a major boon for his value to the team.
So why would the Lakers consider trading AD? It comes down to whether or not they want to go all in with LeBron while he's still the team's best player.
Should Los Angeles look to move Davis, they could get a haul, especially if they're looking to get back a good young piece plus a role-player or two, as opposed to draft picks. It's reasonable to assume that the Lakers could surround LeBron with talent at more positions and that, in turn, would have a bigger impact on Los Angeles' chances.
Ultimately, at this point it's debatable whether Davis or James is the team's best player, and with Davis a full nine years younger than LeBron, it doesn't make sense to move a player than likely has 3-5 peak years left just for a shot that may or may not be more effective with James. Not to mention that, in this scenario, once James hangs it up, the Lakers are likely back at square one.
Davis is having arguably his best season as a Lakers player, and is playing more frequently than ever. Los Angeles needs to stick with him, because when he's on, Davis is a game-changer, even if James isn't available.
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