At 39-years-old, LeBron James is running out of time to earn a fifth NBA Championship. That goal seems further away after yet another loss to the Denver Nuggets, 112-105
The Lakers now trail the series 3-0. Teams in NBA history trailing 3-0 have lost 152 consecutive series and in the four major American sports, it has happened just five times.
It’s their 11th consecutive loss to the Denver Nuggets, who also swept the Los Angeles Lakers in last year’s Western Conference Finals. There’s basically no chance the Lakers can win four consecutive games in this series barring a serious injury to Denver Nuggets center and likely NBA MVP, Nikola Jokić.
At this point, LeBron James has to be wondering if he will ever get that fifth NBA Championship, let alone a sixth to tie Michael Jordan. It’s hard to see it happening in Los Angeles, to be honest. His sidekick, Anthony Davis, has been very good in this series. Yet, they’re still down 3-0, having blown halftime leads in all three games.
Frankly, the supporting cast just isn’t good enough. DeAngelo Russell is supposed to be the third scorer for the Lakers. But, he had a whopping zero points on 0-7 shooting on Thursday night. His inconsistency is mind-boggling, and it’s hard to win a championship when you’re paying a guy like that a ton of money.
He is a free agent, but it’s not like he frees up space to go sign someone else. Rather, they’d have to sign him to a big deal and try to find a way to include him in a sign-and-trade to upgrade their roster. The problem is that a sign-and-trade would likely include future Lakers’ first-round picks. That’s a risky proposition when your best player is going to turn 40-years-old next year. The NBA requires each team to ensure they pick in the first round at least every other year, but if you’re rebuilding you need an annual first-rounder.
Some of the role guys like Austin Reaves are probably guys who should stick around. But, again, that’s a long way from a roster like the Nuggets have or a young core with a ton of future draft picks coming like the Thunder have out West.
LeBron James does have an opt-out this offseason. Should he explore going elsewhere? I think so.
He’s played at an incredibly high level this year in his 21st season, and that includes the playoffs. He could absolutely put a myriad of teams over the top. Just spitballing here, and I’m not saying the contract would necessarily work, but teams like the Knicks, Sixers, Thunder, and his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, ironically, could all be fits in free agency or a sign-and-trade situation for LeBron James.
Ultimately, I think he decides to stay in Los Angeles because that’s where he’s most comfortable in terms of his living situation, it seems. But, I’m not sure that’s the smart move for his legacy as his career winds down.
Game 4 between the Lakers and the Nuggets is Saturday evening in Los Angeles.