On February 26, Beijing time, the Lakers lost 102-105 to the Clippers on the road in the NBA regular season, losing the competition between the city derby for the third time this season. In the whole game, James played 35 minutes, shot only 6 of 18, contributed 21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 turnovers, and the plus-minus -4 on the field was the lowest value of the start, and the performance at the critical time was once again questioned.
After this campaign, the Lakers' record of 27 wins and 32 losses ranked 9th in the West, 2.5 wins away from the 8th-place Clippers. Davis will be out for about 1 month, the Lakers' remaining season schedule is the second most difficult in the league, and the Clippers' George will return in March, in such a big environment, I think the Lakers should have no hope of impacting the top 6, and may not even be able to climb to the 7th or 8th place, overall, this season's Lakers are definitely a failed season.
So, many people are starting to make suggestions for the future of the Lakers. For example, Sports journalist Steve Mason in Los Angeles tweeted, "This is my plan for the Lakers." Obviously, the Lakers want to keep James, as long as James has the right lineup around him, we can win games with James next season. In order to get the right boost, we had to trade Davis, who couldn't protect us. ”
It is worth mentioning that NBA reporter Ryan Stone previously wrote when referring to how the Bulls strengthened this summer: "Some anonymous NBA executives said that the Bulls may send chips such as DeRozan + Kobe White or Patrick Williams to trade Davis of the Lakers." (There are all kinds of signs that not only James may be kicked away on the Lakers, but Davis may also be kicked away.)
It is undeniable that Davis's ability, even if the performance this season is not satisfactory, he can still contribute to the data of averaging 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per game, shooting 53.7% from the field, but Davis's biggest problem is his health problem. Last season, he missed 36 games, a 50% absence rate, and suffered injuries in the key playoffs; so far this season, he has only played 37 games, and the absence rate is expected to exceed 50%, and when the team is about to take off, Davis fell again, perhaps becoming the last straw to overwhelm the Lakers.
Davis's glass properties are well known, even he himself is not shy about it, in 2020 and the Lakers reached a 5-year 190 million renewal, he once said: "Because I can't predict my health, I will make the decision to sign a long contract." Obviously, successive injuries are gradually wearing down the Patience of the Lakers management for Davis, which is why some reporters will suggest that the Lakers trade Davis.
But there is a saying that James will turn 38 next season, his dominance and influence on the court have shown a significant decline, the Lakers really have the courage to make a trade with Davis, continue to build a championship lineup around James, I don't see it! Anyway, the feeling that the lakers give me now is chaos, this season should be almost like this, as for what next season will be like, no one knows, some people say that it will remain the same, some people say that James will go, some people say that Wei Shao will go, and some people say that Davis will go, I want to say that it may all go!