LeBron James fears getting traded like Anthony Davis after being pushed to talk about Lakers’ need at center

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:

“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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Arhaan Raje is an Assistant Content Manager and Senior Writer with Sportskeeda’s NBA/WNBA team with four years of experience.

Arhaan focuses on features, trends, listicles, and the latest rumors and reports circling the league’s top teams and players. He emphasizes detailed research to create impactful content for readers. A fan of Xs and Os, Arhaan provides technical deep dives in his reporting.

Arhaan completed his bachelor’s degree in BBA in Media and Entertainment Management from Mumbai, India.

Arhaan admires the killer mentality of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He respects LeBron James for being a role model on and off the court. The bold and decisive Gregg Popovich stands out as Arhaan’s favorite basketball coach. LeBron’s epic chase-down block in the 2016 NBA Finals has a special place in Arhaan’s basketball memories.

He has interviewed Ronnie 2K, the face of NBA2k and Marketing Director.

Sports isn’t the only passion he has pursued professionally. Arhaan is also into performing arts in the music industry as a percussionist.

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