An anonymous NBA insider has shared a controversial take, claiming the Los Angeles Lakers are unlikely to contend for a championship until LeBron James decides to retire. Speaking to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, the insider attributed the Lakers’ current struggles to an unrealistic reliance on James at nearly 40 years old.
“It’s the same stuff you’ve been hearing for a while, just with some different people. Like, now it’s JJ, instead of Darvin. They can keep changing coaches, but it’s not going to change where they are. They’ve got LeBron and Anthony Davis and … what?”
“Until LeBron leaves, it’s not going to be a good job, you know? You’re going to be held to a standard that isn’t realistic. LeBron’s almost 40, man, c’mon. He can still do great things because he’s freakin’ LeBron.”
“But in terms of getting that team to be good consistently for a period of years — a contender — it’s not going to happen with how it’s set up now. They took their shot these last couple of years, and it didn’t work. They have to be honest. Two stars weren’t enough with what they had around them.”
“It wasn’t a coaching thing. It almost never is. Now that LeBron has had his chance to play with Bronny and have that be a part of his legacy, he has to assess this team.”
“I think he’s finding that team wanting, which makes a lot of people around the league think he might finally be open to a trade to play somewhere else at the championship level. The question is, how can you make that trade?”
“There’s only a few teams where his delivery brings them from the second plateau to the top, but it’s hard, if not impossible, for teams like that to take his contract.”
The Lakers have struggled to replicate the success of their 2020 championship season. Over the past four years, the team has faced two first-round playoff exits, injuries to key players, and even missed the postseason entirely in 2021-22. They did make the Western Conference Finals in 2022-23, but fell to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
This season, the Lakers sit at a middling 13-11 record, plagued by inconsistency despite standout performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. While James continues to produce at an elite level—averaging 23.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 9.1 assists on 49.5% shooting—the team’s supporting cast has failed to step up. Advanced stats reveal that only James and Davis are performing at a starter level.
The insider suggests the championship window for the LeBron-AD duo has already closed.
The notion that James is holding the Lakers back feels like a significant stretch. LeBron remains one of only two players in the league—alongside reigning MVP Nikola Jokic—averaging over 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists per game. At 39, his continued dominance is unprecedented and speaks to his extraordinary longevity.
The Lakers’ struggles are less about LeBron and more about roster construction. The front office has repeatedly failed to surround James and Davis with the kind of depth needed to compete in a stacked Western Conference. Advanced analytics expose the lack of impact on players beyond the team’s two superstars. Moreover, injuries to key rotation players and questionable roster decisions have further hindered their competitiveness.
The insider’s claim highlights the grim reality facing the Lakers. With their current roster, they lack the firepower to match up against championship-caliber teams like the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, or Oklahoma City Thunder. While first-year head coach JJ Redick has shown promise, coaching alone cannot overcome the talent gap on the roster.
The Lakers’ front office has tough decisions to make. If they want to maximize what remains of LeBron’s career, they must make bold moves before the trade deadline to upgrade the roster. Otherwise, the franchise risks squandering the twilight of the greatest career in NBA history.
In short, the blame doesn’t lie with LeBron James. Instead, the Lakers’ management must act decisively to create a roster capable of competing at the highest level. With James still performing at an elite level, the time to build a contender is now—not after his retirement.
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