Any team with LeBron James on its roster should be considered a title contender. Add in Anthony Davis and there is little doubt that duo could carry the team to a championship. There’s evidence of them doing as much.
But months and years of mismanaging assets by the Lakers have them in a spot where, even with those two, the Lakers certainly aren’t considered a title favorite and are on the periphery of title contenders, if they even are one. While a whole host of moves broke the camel’s back, the final straw was the team trading away much of its depth for Russell Westbrook, which ended disastrously.