LeBron doesn't want to waste a season but options for change are limited

The Lakers promised to deliver LeBron championship pieces. So far they're only delivering losses.

The team lost to the Clippers Wednesday, a game LeBron left in the fourth quarter with an adductor strain, to drop to 2-9. They're at a crossroads. According to Chris Haynes, the Lakers "made a promise to supply him with the necessary pieces to compete for a championship throughout the duration of his tenure." This team clearly doesn't have the pieces to compete for the play-in game, much less a championship.

Rob Pelinka said his job was to be "caretaker of LeBron’s legacy," but Pelinka's moves have been less than inspiring. After a disastrous 2021-22 season, Russell Westbrook is still on the team. Pelinka's biggest off-season acquisitions were Lonnie Walker IV (15.3 PPG, shooting under 30 percent from three-point range) and 34-year-old Patrick Beverley, who's not even shooting 30 percent from the floor. The Lakers have the league's worst offensive rating, the worst three-point percentage (29.3 percent) and they're 28th in rebounds.

Despite assuring LeBron they'd surround him with championship-caliber players, the Lakers have been reluctant to make moves. Three weeks ago, Adrian Wojnarowski reported they planned to wait until after Thanksgiving to shake up their roster.