Running It Back Would Be a Disaster for LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers

The 2024-25 Los Angeles Lakers look remarkably similar to last year's version. For a team that finished as the No. 7 seed in the West and managed to win just one playoff game, this isn't a good thing.

The Lakers have yet to sign a single outside free agent or execute any trade to this point and already have a full 15-man roster that projects to run over the second luxury tax apron.

Of their two new additions, only rookie Dalton Knecht could make any sort of an impact, with Bronny James expected to spend a lot of time with the South Bay Lakers of the G League, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Simply "running it back" isn't an option for this group, for a number of reasons.

LeBron James vs. an Undefeated Opponent

It's almost impossible to expect LeBron James to be as productive and healthy as he was last season.

The 39-year-old played in 71 games after averaging just 55.6 in his first five years in Los Angeles. James' 41.0 percent three-point shooting was a career best and noticeably above his lifetime 34.5 percent average. As he gets ready to turn 40 on December 30, the Lakers simply can't expect this type of production and health from their star at this stage of his career.

Only seven players in NBA history have even played in the league at age 40 or over. No player has ever averaged over 14.6 points per game at this age (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) or played more than 28.9 minutes a game (also Abdul-Jabbar).

James averaged 25.7 points in his 35.3 minutes a game last year, although these aren't numbers that are going to trend upwards. It's worth noting that James' three-point shooting fell off in the second half of games last season (43.7 percent down to 38.6 percent) while his turnovers increased (1.5 up to 1.9).

We abandoned the idea years ago of James being the best player in the league and should now be asking if the 20-time All-Star can still be the best player on a championship team.

At 40, it's unfair to ask James to throw a team on his back and carry them to a title like we've witnessed so many times in the past.

The West is still the Best

Even with Paul George moving to the Eastern Conference this summer and likely putting an end to the Los Angeles Clippers 2025 title hopes, the Western Conference is still a nightmare to try to get through.

We could realistically see 14 of the conference's 15 franchises actually try to make the playoffs, especially with the 22-win San Antonio Spurs adding Chris Paul and the 27-win Memphis Grizzlies getting a healthy Ja Morant back. Even the 31-win Utah Jazz sniffed around trades for Trae Young, Dejounte Murray and Mikal Bridges according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Even with the Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets (sans Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) likely taking a step back, far more teams will be taking a big step forward.

The Dallas Mavericks just reached the Finals and traded for Klay Thompson. The Oklahoma City Thunder added Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein to a team that won 57 games. The New Orleans Pelicans traded for Dejounte Murray and the 56-win Minnesota Timberwolves picked up Rob Dillingham in a draft-day trade.

We haven't even mentioned the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, or Houston Rockets who closed last season on a 16-7 run.

After finishing as the No. 7 seed in the West with mostly healthy seasons from James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers need to do more to even keep pace.

Trading Future for Present

No franchise should be more confident of their ability to attract stars than the Lakers, a team that signed James coming off of a 35-win season in 2017-18.

This makes it far more digestible to trade future first-round picks, given that the Lakers have made the playoffs in 66 of their 77 seasons. Stars will always gravitate towards the Los Angeles area, and the Lakers still have an aura that the Clippers will never possess.

A trade, or series of trades, is the only thing that can turn the Lakers into championship contenders next season.

Los Angeles can trade first-round picks in 2029 and 2031. They can agree to swap first rounders in 2026, 2028 and 2030. This should theoretically be enough draft ammunition to put them in position for another All-Star, especially with some of the high-level role players and expiring salary (D'Angelo Russell) on the roster.

Trae Young is the ideal candidate. The 25-year-old point guard could become a staple of the franchise for the next 10 years and is the alpha scorer this team needs to lessen the burden on James. His range as a three-point scorer would completely open up the floor for JJ Redick's playbook and we'd see a nightly highlight reel of lobs to Davis. After the Hawks traded Murray, however, Young seems less likely to be moved.

Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers is another option, an All-Star in 2022 who also shares an agency with James and Davis. Los Angeles may not have the picks the Utah Jazz would require for a player like Lauri Markkanen.

The Lakers may have to settle for a second-tier star like Zach LaVine, Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon or Cam Johnson. In any deal, Los Angeles should try to send out more players than they take back, giving them the option to pursue free agents like Malik Beasley, Saddiq Bey, Gary Trent Jr., Gordon Hayward or Caleb Martin on prove-it deals.

Given James' age, the improvement of the West around them and the future picks available to trade, the Lakers need to do more this offseason to truly have a chance at the 2025 title. As long as James is on the roster and in the NBA, his teams face a championship-or-bust reality, with this upcoming season in L.A. being no different.

For now, the Lakers aren't even close.