The vibes surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t high to begin the 2025-26 campaign. While the Lakers boast a .500 record, they’ve been decimated by injuries early in the season, sparking concerns about the franchise’s health.
Surprisingly, NESN’s Collin Keane believes this is the perfect time for Los Angeles to reassess its roster as it attempts to win its first championship since 2020.
In Keane’s opinion, the Lakers shouldn’t be opposed to trading their injured 6-foot-9 star (Sciatica) before the Feb. 5 trade deadline to take their roster to an elevated level. “If the Los Angeles Lakers are serious about building a contender around Luka Doncic, they need to seriously consider trading LeBron James,” Keane wrote Tuesday.
“Yes, LeBron has a no-trade clause, but you have to think there are some teams Bron would be okay joining, particularly because the Lakers aren’t a frontline contender at the moment. If the Lakers can find a way to convince a contender to take on LeBron in exchange for multiple, valuable role players, everyone can win.”
“It’s becoming more and more obvious that Luka needs to be the center of LA’s solar system for the Lakers to be at their best in 2025-26 and beyond.”
Although some may disagree with Keane’s assessment, they would be remiss if they didn’t acknowledge the fact that he isn’t too far off base. James is 40 years old and shouldn’t be included in the Lakers’ future plans, considering he won’t be in the league for an extended period.
Why not start preparing for the future by swapping James for a younger star who could complement Doncic and Reaves in Los Angeles?
Additionally, it’s not as if James is 100% satisfied with the current state of the franchise, which could open the door to a blockbuster trade that benefits both parties. There’s no guarantee that James will finish the year/his career with the Lakers.
