Lakers urged to trade LeBron James, Anthony Davis

Veteran Lakers beat writer Bill Plaschke has only one Christmas wish, and it's for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to be shipped out of town.

In a scathing op-ed piece, the Los Angeles Times writer sounded off the alarms on the Lakers' early season struggles while urging the franchise to cut bait with its two superstars.

"After a quarter of the season, the Lakers are no better than a bottom seed in the Western Conference, surely headed for a third consecutive appearance in the play-in tournament, seemingly destined for a second consecutive first-round knockout," Plaschke wrote. "It’s over. Already. There is no hope. Again. With no first-round draft pick and suffocating salaries, they might not be any better next year. Really."

Plaschke believes the Lakers have the golden opportunity to acquire valuable building blocks in exchange for James and Davis, allowing them to rebuild the roster under head coach JJ Redick. 

"The best way the two leading Lakers can help this team is to willingly leave it," Plaschke wrote of James and Davis.

It won't be easy for the Lakers front office to pull off trades for either star. While James has a no-trade clause and a player option for 2025-26, Davis is owed over $218M through the next four seasons. 

Plaschke is not the first prominent NBA voice to ask the Lakers to blow up the roster. Last week, Jason Timpf addressed Jeanie Buss on his "Hoops Tonight" podcast, asking the Lakers controlling owner to trade Davis and James and fire front-office head Rob Pelinka. Timpf argued that the Lakers needed to "build a quality basketball culture from the ground up" and that it could only start by pushing the reset button.

Furthermore, The Athletic's Jovan Buha noted he "would not be surprised" if Davis sought trade if the Lakers' struggles persist.

The Lakers (13-11) have a winning record despite all the criticism levied at them. However, it's clear to any objective onlooker that this team won't make any noise in the postseason, even if it gets that far. The Lakers are ranked No. 26 in defense and No. 14 in offense after 24 games.