The Los Angeles Lakers’ lack of success since their 2020 NBA championship has resulted in many questioning the tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and whether or not a trade would be in the franchise’s best interest.
Jamal Crawford, one of the best sixth men to ever set foot on an NBA court, recently appeared on The Big Podcast with Shaq to disclose his thoughts on the matter. The podcast is hosted by NBA Hall of Famer and cultural icon Shaquille O’Neal alongside TNT’s Adam Lefkoe.
Crawford’s Lakers Trade Idea
Crawford insinuates that Los Angeles’ best hope towards championship contention would be by trading Davis.
“They don’t have enough to even compete right now…My thing is, if LeBron is still your best player at this point, I’m looking at trading Anthony Davis. You can get four or five pieces to go with him[LeBron]…That fit LeBron if LeBron’s still going to be your best player.”
Crawford later elaborated on his statement.
“It’s not his talent, it’s roster construction. Look what the 1-2 punch has gotten them[the Lakers].
Should the Lakers Trade Anthony Davis?
Crawford’s suggestion is certainly a daring proposal, given that Davis is now seen as the Lakers’ franchise player for the foreseeable future. LeBron is 39 years old and figures to only have a few years left in him.
If LA were to trade Davis, they would essentially be setting themselves up for a rebuild the second that James either leaves or retires. The Lakers franchise perennially bears the crushing weight of lofty expectations, and hitting the reset button after winning only one championship in the past decade would feel out of character.
If the Lakers decide to hold on to Davis, they could pair him with another max-contract superstar once James’ contract is off the books. The Lakers also hold plenty of tradable assets to retool in the post-LeBron era, including Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura.
Anthony Davis and the Lakers in 2023-24
In 2023-24, Davis has managed to thwart serious injuries, playing in 68 of the Lakers’ 72 games this season. He is playing 35.9 minutes a night, his highest total since the 2017-18 season, when he was still a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Davis is averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. The 6’10 big man is also one of the contenders for the Defensive Player of the Year award, averaging 2.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
Last night, Davis played 52 minutes as the Lakers came back from a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-124 in double overtime.
The Lakers now sit 9th in the Western Conference, with a record of 40-32. They are in a heated battle with numerous teams to avoid the dreaded play-in, including the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks. The West is incredibly tight this year, as the fourth-seeded Clippers are only eight games ahead of the eleventh-seeded Houston Rockets.
