It was all sunshine and rainbows in Los Angeles as the Lakers hosted the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena, looking to pick up their 15th win of the season. And the odds were stacked heavily in their favor. The Pelicans came in missing seven players, including stars like Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Jordan Poole, and Herb Jones. As you’d expect, the Lakers — even without LeBron James — controlled the game from start to finish and had plenty of laughs and fun moments along the way.

One such moment was caught on camera when Maxi Kleber, the German power forward, ended up blocking his own shot. With about 1:47 left in the third quarter, Kleber drove to the rim but somehow pushed the ball out of the basket instead of finishing the play — turning what could’ve been an easy three-point play into a two-point play after a foul was called on the Pelicans.

Kleber, who has barely played this season with only seven appearances, finally got some minutes tonight with big man Ayton already dealing with injury issues and not fully match fit. Ayton later left the game again in the fourth quarter, clutching his knee in what became the lone sour moment of the Lakers’ 133-121 win over the Pelicans.

As for Kleber, he knocked down those two free throws and wrapped up the night with 2 points and 1 rebound.

All in all, it’s been a strong start to the season for the Lakers, even though their big three of LeBron, Luka, and Reaves have barely shared the floor together. James missed the first 14 games with sciatica, and his status was downgraded to out for Sunday’s game because of a foot injury, according to the official report.

Although it’s widely believed that the King will be back for the game against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers didn’t want to take any risks with the 40-year-old, especially since he hasn’t played a back-to-back yet this season. “We’re going to build him up,” head coach J.J. Redick said, making it clear the team is being extra cautious with the four-time NBA champion. After just getting healthy again, neither LeBron nor the Lakers want to see him go through another setback.

LeBron James has played just four games this season, but he’s been solid when available, averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 8.3 rebounds. Still, despite his impact, Stephen A. Smith believes the Lakers could consider trading him.

Stephen A. Smith Suggests LeBron’s Age May Lead to Lakers Trade

For the first time in LeBron James’ 21-year career, he’s entered a season without being the main man of his team. The Lakers are now Luka Doncic’s team, and they’re sitting at 15-4 even with James missing 14 games. So Stephen A. Smith believes that if the Lakers ever got the chance, they’d move on from LeBron, and he gave his reasons for it.

On the Joe and Jada podcast, Stephen A. said it’s LeBron’s age that could push the Lakers front office to move on. “Because of his age, and the fact you’ve got Luka as the future,” he said. “Luka’s 26, and you want some young cats to play, not someone who’s 41 and on his way out in the next year or two. That’s what that’s about. It’s not because of LeBron’s game, it’s because of his age.”

The Lakers have Luka putting up 35.1 points a night and Reaves right behind him at 28.8, so you could argue that even though 40-year-old LeBron can still give you 20-plus any given game, the team doesn’t exactly need him the way it once did. And we know the Warriors made a strong push for him before he signed his new deal. So could there be a future where LeBron eventually moves on from the Lakers? What do you think? Let us know in the comments down below!

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