Stephen A. Smith has been known to come out with some very contentious statements throughout his time as a sports broadcaster for ESPN. Well, he was at it again on Wednesday with an extremely hot take about how the Los Angeles Lakers should seriously consider trading away LeBron James.

Smith argued that at the moment, the Lakers have no other choice but to look at this seemingly insane possibility. According to the renowned ESPN analyst, their current roster needs fixing and the best way to go about this is by letting James go:

“The Lakers should strongly consider trading LeBron James,” Smith said on First Take (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter). “… I’m telling you right now, it’s no shade at all. It’s a testament to his greatness and is a compliment to him that I’m saying this is what the Los Angeles Lakers must consider. The Los Angeles Lakers as presently constructed are going nowhere. Russell Westbrook clearly lost something… [Anthony Davis] is not reliable healthwise…”

Smith then went on to point out that at the moment, the Lakers don’t have too many trade assets outside of LeBron. This notion should force their hand into, at the very least, examining their resolve with regard to building their team around the four-time NBA champ:

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“He’s the only person that has extreme value that you’ll never get equitable compensation for his greatness,” Smith continued, “but it’s the only chance you have to be immediately respetcable if you’re the Los Angeles Lakers… If you’re the Lakers, where you goin’? You got nothing.”

Is Stephen A right? Are the Lakers currently in such a desperate state that they have been left with no other choice but to trade away one of the greatest players in NBA history?