The trade deadline buzzer has sounded and the Los Angeles Lakers have not been able to acquire Anthony Davis. Over the past two weeks, the Lakers have tried to convince the New Orleans Pelicans to let them have AD. They were willing to trade almost the entire team with the hopes that they could pair him with LeBron James. Obviously, the Pelicans didn't cave in to the pressure, and the Lakers are left with more questions than answers.
LeBron signed with the Lakers this summer, knowing that he will be playing with a young team. They added veterans like Rajon Rondo to help bring leadership to the locker room, and it worked out pretty well at first.
The Lakers were fourth in the Western Conference at the end of 2018, and had a huge wave of momentum on their side after they beat the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day.
However, LeBron and Rondo got injured, and they both missed the entire month of January. During that span, the Lakers racked up losses that eventually led to them falling out of the playoff picture.
This has created speculation that LeBron's camp isn't happy with the Lakers as a team and wants the front office to make the necessary changes. Then, a few days after those reports came out, Davis' representatives publicly requested a trade from the Pelicans.
James and Davis are being represented by Klutch Sports Group. So it is obvious why the series of events can somehow be associated with each other.
There's immense pressure for the Lakers to build a championship team around LeBron as fast as possible because by the end of his four-year deal with Los Angeles, he'll be 38 years old.
Article Continues BelowHowever, the four-time MVP denied the notion that he's rushing the Lakers to make a team that will help bring titles in LA. In an interview with John Karalis of Masslive.com, James said there's no need for him to go through such lengths just to become champion again, as he has accomplished everything already.
“There’s nothing I need to get in this league that I don’t already have. Everything else for me is just like icing on the cake. I love the process of everything I go through to be able to compete every single night and put teams in position to compete for championships. But there’s nothing I’m chasing or feel like I need to end my career on.”
Regardless of what happened, the Lakers remain almost the same team. They lost Svi Mykhailiuk, Ivica Zubac, and Michael Beasley and got Reggie Bullock and Mike Muscala through trades. None of those players are expected to have a huge impact on the Lakers' future.
Still, LeBron's window of opportunity to win another championship is closing fast, and whether he's pushing the Lakers to revamp the roster or not, it is almost a requirement for them to start winning now.
For the city, for its fans, and for the franchise itself.