Fansided

5 reasons LeBron owns Lakers with Magic Johnson gone

By Jason Cole

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 26: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 26, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 26: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 26, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Lakers, Nuggets
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 22: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers hi-five LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers against the San Antonio Spurs on October 22, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2. Time to make some decisions

Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma are all in play right now. Obviously, they would be part of any deal that the Lakers might be able to make if they can get Anthony Davis in trade. That, of course, is a longshot at this point in time, so the question now really revolves around whether any of them are worth keeping.

Does LeBron see any of them as part of the solution? In the case of Ingram, the answer is probably no. Ingram improved statistically last season, averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting 49.7 percent from the field. However, Ingram didn’t play particularly well when he was on the floor with James. Ball has obvious physical skill, but he hasn’t lived up to anything close to the billing he had coming out of UCLA. Worse, Ball is a constant drama off the court between his father and shoe company travails.

In addition, Ingram and Ball were the most miffed about the fact that they were dangled in the trade talks for Davis during the season. The terrible performances of the Lakers in the immediate aftermath of the Davis deal dying can be directly linked to the attitudes of Ingram and Ball.

Don’t expect LeBron to put up with that type of performance. At the same time, both Ingram and Ball have trade value, so expect LeBron to put up with them until he can figure out a way to get something for them (or allow Griffin to get something for them). As for Kuzma, he’s a decent scorer (18.7 per game) and a safe player who LeBron seems to get along with. However, Kuzma could be gone if the right circumstances come up.

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