The trade LeBron James needs to compete for a Championship

The Lakers are in a great mood after finally locking in LeBron James for a couple more years. Now they only need to make some more moves to improve their roster and their chances of reaching the Finals. Fans are just stuck with Kyrie Irving, but according to NBA analyst Bill Simmons, there's a trade that could actually work and be done in a flash. The Lakers should trade Anthony Davis to the Miami Heat for Jimmy Butler.

No one can deny that Jimmy Butler has been a top player for the last couple of years. Last season was just another proof of it. The small forward averaged  a total of 21.4 points per game, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 57 games in 2021-22. He was selected to play in his sixth All-Star game. However, Anthony Davis averaged 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 40 games in 2021-22. Both players had similar numbers throughout the season.

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Still, according to Bill Simmons, the Lakers should trade away Anthony Davis, a player that cost them a lot of draft capital. “And if the Lakers called Miami up and said, ‘We’ll give you Anthony Davis for Jimmy Butler,’ Miami is either doing it or they’re having a seven-hour meeting before they decide not to do it, But I just think they would do it. If they can turn Jimmy Butler into Anthony Davis, I think they do it.” commented the analyst.

So far, there has been no news about the Lakers wanting to trade away Anthony Davis. In contrast, Darvin Ham and LeBron James have come out to say that they both want the Lakers offense to run through the power forward's hands. The Lakers are in need of a move to improve their roster, but sending Davis away for a player with his same production may be the wrong choice if you want to compete for next season's championship.

Are the Lakers competitive without Davis?

Last season was a true disappointment for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they missed the playoffs, finishing 11th in the West. This was in big part because LeBron James suffered some injuries during the season, but also because Davis only played in 40 games. The last time Anthony Davis was healthy for most of the season was in the 2020 season, when the Lakers won the Championship. Davis has been an excellent player, he just needs to remain healthy.

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