NBA Rumors: LeBron James-Anthony Davis Lakers Duo Not Scary At All, According To ‘Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher

After failing to reach the Western Conference Playoffs for the sixth straight year, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be more aggressive in finding superstars who can play alongside LeBron James in the 2019-20 NBA season. Magic Johnson has already resigned as the president of basketball operations, but the Lakers are still highly anticipated to resume their trade negotiations with the New Orleans Pelicans involving All-Star center Anthony Davis in the 2019 NBA offseason.

Most people believe that the successful acquisition of Anthony Davis will help the Lakers turn things around next season. Pairing a player of Davis’s caliber with LeBron James will undeniably make the Lakers a huge headache to any powerhouse teams in the league, even to the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors. In a recent appearance on Scoop B Radio Podcast, Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report told Brandon Robinson of Heavy that the James-Davis tandem in Los Angeles doesn’t scare him at all.

“Like, I’m not blown away. If LeBron and AD get together, that doesn’t scare me. One, because, if you’re talking about playing for titles, you need a lot more than that, so if you’re going to get him in the short term, if you’re going to get him for next year, it means you’re gonna have to give up some of the assets, some of the players, some of the talent you have right now, okay? That talent isn’t all that great, but even so, how are you going to replace it? Where are you going to get the replacement pieces?”

Report: Davis trade talks cost LeBron trust of his teammates https://t.co/KqEAvvK2Ny

— MSN Sports (@MSNSports) April 10, 2019

Bucher definitely has a point. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are no doubt two of the best active players in the league right now, but the Lakers still need to surround them with quality talent in order to have a strong chance of bringing home the Larry O’Brien Trophy next year. When the 2018-19 NBA season is officially over, most of the Lakers’ veterans will be hitting the free agency market, including Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Tyson Chandler, JaVale McGee, Reggie Bullock, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, and Mike Muscala, leaving them with their young core.

However, in the potential deal that would send Anthony Davis to Los Angeles, the Lakers will likely need to include Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram in the trade package to convince the Pelicans to make a deal. So far, it remains a mystery what the Lakers’ master plan will be in the 2019 NBA offseason. Aside from improving their roster, the Lakers are also expected to find Luke Walton’s replacement as head coach next summer.