Instead of competing for the NBA championship, as many expected them to, the Los Angeles Lakers ended their 2021-22 season by missing the play-in tournament.
It has been the most disappointing season in franchise history, and it has led to lots of pessimism about the state of the franchise, not to mention bad optics for the organization as a whole.
As a result, there have been rumors over the last few months that LeBron James is close to being done with the Purple and Gold and that he may be planning his exit strategy.
However, according to Brian Windhorst, a journalist who has followed James closely ever since his high school days, the four-time MVP wants to make things work again in L.A. and believes the job can be done.
Via Lakers Daily:
“Given how poorly the team did this year, changes to its roster are bound to happen. Lakers superstar LeBron James reportedly feels that some tweaks can help the roster become ‘super competitive’ next season.
“‘Despite the frustrations of this season, LeBron believes that a few tweaks and some health can actually turn this thing around, and they can be super competitive,’ said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. ‘He is invested, wants to be there.'”
James likely has a good point, as he and Anthony Davis, when healthy, are still arguably the best duo in the NBA.
Assuming the Lakers trade Russell Westbrook, such a deal could yield some viable talent that would help the team immediately.
The return of Kendrick Nunn, who missed the entire regular season because of a bone bruise, would also go a long way in helping L.A. return to the playoffs and possibly be a contender again.
But it remains to be seen if Lakers management learns from its mistakes last summer and builds a much younger and more coherent roster for next season.
[mm-video type=video id=01g0jepezkgdhnre4cx5 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g0jepezkgdhnre4cx5/01g0jepezkgdhnre4cx5-c8b4960d11ac658bb641fa01fc8bf8a4.jpg]
[listicle id=82063]