The Los Angeles Lakers are 17-time NBA champions and have a Mt. Rushmore of all-time greats that have played in purple and gold, so many that it's hard to count. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the latest duo to lead the Lakers to a title, and they are the favorites to repeat and give the Lakers championship number 18 in the summer.

However, when we discuss great Lakers teams, there are two superteams in recent years that would have gone straight to the top if they actually panned out, and that's always fun to talk about.

No, not Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard, although that sure seemed like a fun Lakers team on paper.

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Who are these two Lakers super teams that almost, but didn't, happen?

1. Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard

The third name on this list could really be a number of players, but Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom probably would've been shipped out, and who can forget how dominant Bynum was before his knee injuries?

This trade would've given the Lakers arguably the best backcourt in the history of the NBA if it weren't for David Stern blocking it, a move that to this day has been discussed and will be remembered forever.

Paul was in his prime, and Kobe would've loved to have a pass-first player like CP3, and the Lakers would've ran away with at least two or three championships, but all hope was lost after it was blocked.

The Lakers traded for Dwight Howard later on, and the trio of Howard, Bryant, and Paul, assuming they still made that trade, would've been the best trio in NBA history, probably even until this day.

They would've run through the Western Conference, Paul and Howard would have had their first NBA title, and Bryant would almost undoubtedly finish his career with at least seven rings.

The trio was set to average 61 points a game, and with the depth, that team had nobody was going to stand a chance. Still, Stern blocked the trade, and a few years later Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James teamed up in Miami. After that, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry gathered with the Golden State Warriors, and the NBA has seen superteams galore since that day.

2. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard

The summer of 2019 was an interesting one, and perhaps the most exciting one of the past decade. Anthony Davis got traded to the Lakers earlier in the offseason, and Leonard was set to choose between the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Unfortunately for Lakers fans, and maybe even for Kawhi at this point, he chose to join the Clippers and team up with Paul George in a huge night that shifted the makeup of the Western Conference for years to come.

However, we can't help but think of a Davis, James, Leonard trio, which would then be the best big three to ever play together in the NBA.

Leonard, James, and Davis are arguably all top-five players in the league, and Leonard was heralded as the best defender in the game for years before giving up that title.

Looking back on it, the talented trio of two-way stars would've destroyed whoever they played, and even though the Lakers went on to win the NBA Finals last season, one has to wonder what that team would've looked like.

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As far as Kawhi is concerned, he's a huge reason why the San Antonio Spurs won the title in 2014 as he held James in check as well as anybody in the league. His length, defense, ability to score and create for others is out of this world, and would've been a joy to watch for Laker fans everywhere.

Davis was rumored to go to the Lakers or Boston Celtics, but ultimately the Lakers pulled off by sending Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and picks to New Orleans to acquire the star big man.

Davis brings it on defense every night and got snubbed from the Defensive Player of the Year award last season, but that didn't matter as he got his first NBA Championship in the bubble.

As for James, everybody knows he's still the best player in the league even at the age of 36. He won Finals MVP last year and has the Lakers in prime position to repeat as champions, and remains in discussion for the NBA MVP award in 2021 and continues to do insane things, even at his age.

Yes, the Lakers have had some terrific teams as is, but if these teams would've ended up happening, it's safe to say they could've been two of the best teams in NBA history.