After the Lakers’ 2025 NBA playoffs first-round exit, LeBron James joked about the possibility of LA trading him like Anthony Davis if he asked for a center. LA’s lack of depth at the five got them in trouble against an oversized and athletic Timberwolves team in a shocking manner, which was one of the primary talking points, especially after Wednesday’s Game 5.
The Lakers had no answers for Rudy Gobert, who dropped a playoff-career-high 27 points and 24 rebounds (nine offensive), who led Minnesota to a 103-96 win on a night where Anthony Edwards (15 points) didn’t get going. The Lakers played a center-less lineup for pretty much the entire 48 minutes after benching Jaxson Hayes.
When asked about LA’s glaring weakness at the five, James offered “no comments,” adding:
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“My guy AD said [what he wanted,] and he was gone the following week.”
James referred to Davis’ January interview with insider Shams Charania, where he publicly demanded that the Lakers trade for a center and let him play the power forward spot. Within a few weeks, Davis was traded to Dallas for Luka Doncic. While he never got to play with a center again in LA, Davis got his wish in Dallas, where he played with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively in the frontcourt.
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Edited by Arhaan Raje
