What do the Los Angeles Lakers need to do to return to championship form going forward? According to Paul Pierce, the first step is parting ways with LeBron James.
A day after the Lakers were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Pierce said that getting back to championship contention will require moving on from LeBron James and building a team around their new star, Luka Dončić.
“If the Lakers want to get back to a championship contender moving forward, you have to get out of the constraints of the LeBron James era,” Pierce said on FS1’s Speak. “He’s had a grasp of the whole organization, bear-hugging them, for so long now. He’s done some wonderful things for the Lakers organization. They’re probably gonna build a statue of LeBron. But I’m just saying, they have to say, ‘Bron, we appreciate your services, I think we should move on.’ It’s time for the Luka era now, ’cause I don’t know if you can play them together moving forward. You have to have a certain kind of team around Luka to win. And him with LeBron, you won’t be able to create that.”
“If the Lakers want to get back to being a championship contender, you have to get out of the constraints of the LeBron James era.” — @PaulPierce34 pic.twitter.com/jc1j6F5PEo
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) May 1, 2025
This is the opposite of what Skip Bayless said. Bayless theorized that the Lakers need to redo the trade deadline blockbuster and send Dončić back to the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis.
Pierce also has people who agree with him. One of those people is Fox Sports Radio host Ben Maller. While Maller acknowledged that the Lakers won’t get rid of LeBron, he also said it would be the right move.
“Should they move on? Yes. Just allow Luka to be the center of the universe, and just build the team around Luka. And that’s it.”
“Should the Lakers move on from LeBron? YES. Allow Luka to be the center of the universe…But they don’t have the 🏀🏀 to do that…They’ve got a terrible owner. That franchise has been infected with celebrity worship syndrome.”
🎙️@benmaller pic.twitter.com/ZUQ5VsobD0
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) May 2, 2025
While the Lakers’ season is over, the Lakers’ hot take season is just getting started.
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