Los Angeles Lakers: There is now a legitimate chance this all blows up

The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to get a deal done for Anthony Davis, which might be an underlying sign of a bigger issue for LA.

The Los Angeles Lakers not being able to land Anthony Davis at the NBA Trade Deadline definitely concerned some fans, even though we made our pitch on why it was going to be okay.

After all, Davis can still be traded in the offseason and that might be better for the Lakers. However, we also recognize that Davis might be the only realistic option for the Lakers this offseason, which is something the Pelicans know and might take advantage of.

For now, the Lakers have who they have and there is no changing who is on the team, which is also concerning. The Lakers have not been playing particularly great and are the worst LeBron-led team since his rookie season.

That is saying a lot, especially considering that James carried a terrible Cleveland Cavaliers team to the NBA Finals last season. Yes, the Western Conference is much tougher than the Eastern Conference but the Lakers should still be better.

The Lakers obviously need to add someone to help the title chances, which should be the most concerning thing about the team. This current roster might not even be fit to contend in the next few years and getting outside help is not as easy as it seems.

Especially when you are the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers are now the NBA’s death star. Los Angeles already has an aura around them and now that they have LeBron James they have an even bigger villain presence.

It is going to take a lot for a team to willingly trade the Lakers a superstar and make them the NBA’s best team. While it might be best for said team, like the Pelicans, the Pelicans don’t want to be the team that made the Lakers great.

I mean it is sad but the Pelicans would probably take 80 cents on the dollar to send Davis to a team like the Memphis Grizzlies (obviously not happening, just using the namesake) than take a full-priced return from the Lakers.

It is a weird thing about the NBA but it is present in all sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers are not going to trade with an NL contender and the Los Angeles Rams are going to try and make most of their moves in the AFC like they did last offseason.

Heck, if you don’t believe it then look no further than the Lakers’ two failed negotiations ovr the last year. First, it was Kawhi Leonard and now Davis; two Western Conference teams that could have gotten a nice return if they did not drive the price immensely high.

That is an issue in upon itself and then you also have the issue of LeBron James not being the most popular person to play with. It might not be James’ fault but there is so much attention and media that goes into playing with James that a free agent like Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler or Kawhi Leonard can simply just pass.

Plus, LeBron has left every team he has left pretty high and dry. Unless you really want to play for the Lakers and with LeBron, most guys probably don’t want that to happen.

And then there is the young core, which definitely is talented but might not ever be good enough to win with LeBron. There is a chance that Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram all become all-star caliber; the only problem is LeBron is 34 and it might be outside of the LeBron window when that happens.

The Los Angeles Lakers have struck out thus far and really only landed LeBron James because they happened to be in Los Angeles and presented a better opportunity than the Los Angeles Clippers.

Aside from that, the front office did nothing to deserve getting LeBron James and their actions since have proved why. There is a legitimate chance now that this can all blow up in the faces of Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson.