Interesting Trade Idea That Can Solve Lakers and LeBron James’ Injury Woes

Published 11/12/2021, 5:30 PM EST

The LeBron James led Lakers are in a bit of a dilemma. After receiving the tagline of the favorites even before the season commenced, their injury woes are already haunting them.

Although the Lakers Nation are slowly but surely building some momentum, Frank Vogel and co. have been anything but convincing. In addition, the age factor is also affecting them, as the average age of their roster is one of the highest.

New story: LeBron James is out with an abdominal strain. While no timeline for his return has been provided by the Lakers, a source familiar with the injury told ESPN that the team’s medical staff “wants to take their time” with James’ recovery https://t.co/2Gv9cMhXvH
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 4, 2021

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Well before the season kicked off, experts had anticipated the aging Lakers squad to face some adversities. Currently, the men in yellow and purple are without star forward and leader LeBron James. Normally the commander of the game, his absence has cost LA duly.

Added to this, the likes of Talen Horton-Tucker and Trevor Ariza are also missing in action at the moment. This has created a distorted image for the management, and they will need to find solutions if they are to stay within the top-8.

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How can LeBron James and the Lakers overcome their injury problems?

There is no doubt that at full strength, the Lakers pose a threat to any setup in the league. But it is highly unlikely that we will get to see such a situation in the near future. Thus, they need to look outside for problem-solvers.

Although the franchise doesn’t have any cap space or contracts to trade, they have a couple of other options. The first, and close to improbable one, is to trade someone like Russell Westbrook, opening up the squad for further depth.

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The second, and more feasible option, is for the Lakers to take advantage of their $2.8M trade exception. When they traded Marc Gasol, Jeanie Buss’ team acquired a TPE, which they can use to bring in a vital player.

A perfect fit would be the Thunder’s #34 Kenrich Williams. The forward has consistently delivered off the bench for OKC, and James could do with someone who comes in and gets the crucial points. The 26-year-old has been shooting at 33.3% (potential to get better) from long range and will strengthen the wings considerably.

At a low cost, Kenrich is a viable replacement for the Lakers. If they can acquire the talented forward, their bench strength will improve by a big margin. Who else do you think can solve LA’s mid-season dilemma? Let us know.

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Written by:

Sankalp Harikrishnan is an NBA and Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. He aspires to pursue Sports Journalism and has represented his institution in cricket, badminton, football and table tennis. Sankalp idolises Roger Federer and Stephen Curry, and has an inherent love for statistics.

Interesting Trade Idea That Can Solve Lakers and LeBron James’ Injury Woes

How can LeBron James and the Lakers overcome their injury problems?

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