Los Angeles Lakers Can Become NBA's Best Team Amid Anthony Davis Trade Rumors, Warriors Uncertainty

The Golden State Warriors controlled the NBA for five straight seasons. They became the league’s best team when the Splash Brothers emerged as the best shooting tandem in history, and then Kevin Durant went to the Bay Area to make them close to unbeatable.

Golden State’s dynasty as we know it ended in the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. Not only did the Warriors fail to three-peat, but they lost Durant and Klay Thompson to injuries that could potentially force them both to miss all of next year.

Durant might have already been on his way out of Golden State, but now he’s certain not to play for the Warriors in 2019-2020. Even if Thompson re-signs as expected, Stephen Curry will be the team’s only healthy returning All-Star.

The free agency and injury questions that surround Golden State leave the Western Conference wide open next season.

Maybe the Houston Rockets will finally get over the hump in 2020. The Los Angeles Clippers will be among the top contenders if they sign Kawhi Leonard. The Denver Nuggets could be improved after their young roster earned the No.2 seed.

But it might be the Los Angeles Lakers that have the most to gain from Warriors’ demise.

LeBron James reached the NBA Finals in four straight seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Lakers. The second greatest player of all time was held to one championship during that span because he ran into the unstoppable machine that was the Warriors.

After James and the Lakers failed to reach the playoffs during an injury-plagued season, the three-time champion could soon be getting players around him that will help him get back to the NBA’s biggest stage.

James didn’t have an All-Star teammate in 2018-2019. It sounds like that might change within the next few days since the Lakers are the overwhelming favorites to trade for Anthony Davis.

Los Angeles has been engaged in negotiations with the New Orleans Pelicans. Unless the Boston Celtics agree to deal their top assets for a player that’s made it clear he plans to head elsewhere after a year, L.A. is very likely to acquire the league’s best big man.

A James-Davis pairing gets the Lakers into the playoffs, at the very least. It, of course, depends on what players surround them, though having an elite superstar and another top-eight player on the roster certainly isn’t a bad start.

The Lakers probably won’t add a third superstar to the team this offseason, but they’ve got a very good chance to improve the roster enough to turn themselves into a legitimate title contender.

If you’ve got both James and Davis, you don’t need to sign a free agent like Leonard, Thompson or Kyrie Irving. Adding Kemba Walker or Jimmy Butler would probably make the Lakers the best team in the West.

What if none of those players sign with the Los Angeles? There’s still the likes of Tobias Harris and Khris Middleton that could accept a max contract offer from the Lakers. Malcolm Brogdon and JJ Redick will be among the best available players that will sign for less than the max. Los Angeles could sign two impactful roles players instead of one star.

The Lakers are going to use their cap space to get better. Even if it means overpaying someone, it’s worth it for Los Angeles to take advantage of James’ remaining seasons as a top star.

Free agency and the trade market will determine which teams are the favorites entering next season. There will be a much clearer picture of where the Lakers stand after the first week of July.

But everything is pointing toward James finding his way back into the title conversation.