3 things that should be on Lakers Holiday Wish List this season

With sunny skies and warm temperatures even through December, most people don't think of California when it comes to the Christmas season. That doesn't stop residents of our most populous state from writing letters to Santa and gathering around the Christmas tree, though.

Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers had better hope that they're on the nice list this year because, although their favorite team is currently 15-12, it's been clear for most of the season that the Lakers are probably closer to being a Western Conference also-ran than a true contender.

Every team in the NBA has at least one or two needs, but the Lakers have several, so before it's too late, let's hang up the purple and gold stockings and put together our holiday wish list in the hopes that maybe we'll get what we want this year.

1. A clean bill of health for LeBron James

Our next list item will be about a player that the Lakers could really use in the trade market, but before we get to that, let's address the nearly-40-year-old elephant in the room. LeBron James is getting older, and it's starting to show.

LeBron is still incredible. He can still take over games for long stretches, and his stat line would be the envy of most other players in the league. Slowly but surely though, the years are taking their toll.

LeBron has already passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time scoring champ, and on Thursday night he again passed Kareem, this time for the most regular season minutes played in NBA history. LeBron now has 57,471 minutes played in his career, and that's to say nothing of his extensive playoff history.

That's a lot of time playing at the highest level, and although LeBron has kept himself in phenomenal shape, there's only so much a guy can do, especially when he stayed busy this summer helping the United States win Olympic gold rather than resting.

LeBron has shown signs of wearing down, and last week he was forced to miss his first two games of the season with a sore foot. That's why the first item on our wish list is for LeBron to stay healthy through the season.

LeBron is integral to the Lakers' success, but he's made no bones about the fact that he probably doesn't have more than a year or two left. Let the King make one last healthy run before going out on his own terms.

2. Find a way to trade for Cam Johnson

So many names have been floated out as potential Lakers trade targets that it would probably be quicker to just name the ones that haven't. Sifting through the rumors and conjecture has been a full-time job for Lakers fans, but if GM Rob Pelinka wants to pursue a player that he could actually land and that could really help the team, he should look no further than Cam Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets sent Dennis Schroder to the Warriors last week, so although they've played better than most pundits expected, it's clear that they're willing to deal. Johnson, along with his teammate Dorian Finney-Smith, would make a ton of sense as a package deal for L.A., and Pelinka should have the assets to make a deal happen.

D'Angelo Russell has already been a member of the Nets before, but this is also his second tour of duty with the Lakers, so there's no reason to think that he couldn't be included in the deal. Rui Hachimura could also be dangled, and there will undoubtedly need to be draft picks involved, as the Nets would only be making a deal so that they could help themselves in the future.

Johnson is shooting over 43 percent from three on the year and over 48 percent overall. His efficiency has actually increased despite career highs in minutes and usage, making him a rarity among NBA players.

Johnson's shooting ability makes him the perfect kind of player to put around LeBron and Anthony Davis, and his size and switchability would help JJ Redick feel better about the team's rebounding and defense. Some Lakers fans have fantasized about trading for a star like Jimmy Butler or Zach LaVine, but those two are ball-dominant players that could clash with LeBron and AD. Johnson is a complementary piece that will benefit from having two stars absorbing most of the defense's attention, but he's also capable of exploding on any given night and putting the team on his back. Wrap him up, put a bow on him and put him under the tree.

3. Reawaken Dalton Knecht

In today's NBA, you can never have enough shooting, so even if the Lakers are able to land Johnson, they shouldn't be content to stop there. Rather than trade for another marksman though, they'd be better off if Dalton Knecht was able to rediscover his mojo instead.

Knecht went supernova when he got a chance in the starting lineup, but his star has dimmed in recent weeks. His minutes and point totals have been on the decline for five games, and he's hit only three shots from deep in the entire month of December while shooting under 11 percent from outside. Thursday night's game against the Kings was (so far) his low point of the season, as he was only able to score two points and grab one rebound in 10 minutes.

By all accounts, Knecht seems to be healthy, so what could explain his sudden drop-off? It's too early to hit the rookie wall, which leaves a crisis of confidence as the likely culprit. Knecht has the ability to be a dynamic scorer in this league. To do so, he needs to start believing in himself again, which in turn will help him earn back JJ Redick's trust.

Knecht was one of the older players available in the draft, and when the Lakers selected him with the 17th pick in the first round, it was with the idea that he could help the team right away. They need more out of him, and soon.

Most people ask Santa for physical gifts, like a Playstation 5 or a pony. We're not sure how Santa and his elves are going to manage this one, but it's worth asking anyway.