LeBron's Injury Hampering Anthony Davis' Potential Move To Lakers, NBA Expert Explains

The Los Angeles Lakers have been looking to make a trade before the Feb. 7 deadline and have been linked with numerous players since the season began in October. But their recent attempts to make a trade could be unhinged due to the poor form of their young players, according to NBA expert Robin Lundberg.

The Lakers brought in LeBron James in the offseason, with the small forward signing a four-year deal after opting out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They were keen to strengthen further and were linked with a trade for Kawhi Leonard, but opted not to make a move in the hope of landing him as a free agent in 2019.

Their decision not to strengthen with yet another top player seemed a bad move when they made a poor start to the season, losing three of their first four games. But James found his rhythm and from the bottom-half of the Western Conference, they moved up to fourth place by mid-December.

The emergence of Anthony Davis as a potential trade target has made the Lakers active in the market again and they are said to be keen to bring the power forward to Los Angeles before the current campaign enters the latter stages.

The Pelicans have made it clear they would not trade their top player mid-season, and it is certain that for a player of Davis’ caliber, the Lakers would have to sacrifice a number of their talented young core in the team.

The likes of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have all been mentioned as players that could be used in the trade package to land the Pelicans power forward.

Davis is considered among the top three players in the league and is on the radar of many teams. But the Lakers will be favorite if he pushes for a move before the February deadline. However, their poor recent form could unhinge their plans.

According to NBA pundit Lunderg, the poor form of Ingram, Ball and the rest of the youngsters in recent weeks when they have been without James - who has been out with an injury since Christmas - could put their trade chances at risk.

The Lakers have lost seven of their last 10 games, which three-time NBA champion James has missed due to a groin injury. While it was considered an opportunity for the young players to step up, they have not.

And the NBA expert feels the Pelicans might not be tempted to cash in on Davis for the Lakers' young players on offer at the moment and wait until the end of the season and assess their options.

“I’m not surprised [to see the Lakers struggle]” Lundberg said, as quoted by the Express. “I’m not surprised because LeBron James is the most valuable player in the history of basketball.”

“I knew that the Lakers were a bad team without LeBron James. I think where this really hurts the Lakers is the trade market for their young players.

“You’d think maybe Brandon Ingram would step up in this spot. That’s really the issue, do you feel lesser about their young talent now?

“And Luke Walton, who seemed to have passed through all the turbulence, it’s all going to get brought back up again, whether it’s fair or not,” he explained. “It’s no surprise that a team that was bad before LeBron came is now bad now that he’s gone.”