With LeBron James running the show for the Lakers and with Anthony Davis continuing to be one of the best defensive big men in the entire NBA, Los Angeles has started the season as one of the best teams in the league… shocker!
After winning an NBA championship last year, the Lakers’ pursuit of winning back-to-back championships is in full effect as new Lakers Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell have also stepped up and taken a lot of the pressure off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
However, since Anthony Davis injured his calf, the Lakers are just 1-4 in their last five games, including a loss to the Nuggets when Davis suffered this injury. Now, AD is expected to be out until after the All-Star break and could miss even more time after that depending on how the swelling reacts to treatment.
Not only is Davis out right now, but Dennis Schorder is also out for the Lakers due to health and safety protocols. Both of these guys are such high-level talents and are two of the top three scorers on this team next to LeBron.
This team could continue to struggle with Davis and Schroder both out, which is why GM Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front-office could look to be aggressive during the All-Star break and look to acquire another reliable scoring threat. How Los Angeles may address this will be something to monitor in NBA trade rumors.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: This Knicks-Thunder trade gives Kevin Knox II a fresh start
Just about 56% of the Lakers’ total scoring output per game comes from LeBron, Davis and Schroder, so with Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder, the Lakers are missing close to 33% of their total scoring output per game!
Replacing this scoring output is going to be hard to do for the Lakers with their current roster, which is why a player like Alec Burks could make a lot of sense for them. He is a very solid offensive player and is more than capable of holding his own defensively, the only question is whether or not the Lakers can bring in his $6M contract to their roster.
Let’s take a look at what a potential trade between the Lakers and Knicks could look like revolving around Alec Burks.
