Lakers Need to Part Ways with 'Vibe Killer' LeBron James

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a precarious spot entering this offseason after a brutal first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. The team is led by stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic, but doesn't have the greatest fitting role players around them.

However, while improving the team around those two is likely the priority, it is also worth thinking about the franchise's future.

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James is currently 40 years old and will be 41 by the end of next season. Assuming he doesn't retire, he is a big part of the team's short-term goals, but definitely not a part of their long-term goals. That makes James somewhat expendable if they want to focus more on the future and building a team that keeps Doncic around when he is expected to hit free agency.

On "The Skip Bayless Show," Michael Rapoport talked about how he felt LeBron doesn't fit the team, is a "vibe killer."

“It worked in bits,” Rapoport said of the James and Doncic duo. “Obviously, it didn’t work enough. I think it’s time to move on. I think he sucks the joy out of that team. It would be in their best interest, unless they’re able to get some other pieces, to let him go or move on from him. There were some stretches where he was a top-five player, some stretches where he was a top-10 player. They looked bad in the playoffs. … I think he is a vibe killer.”

Moving on from arguably the greatest player of all time seems like a crazy idea, but it would give the Lakers more flexibility and a clearer vision for the franchise going forward. James and Doncic are also pretty similar players in the sense that they are much better with the ball in their hands and aren't elite defenders, especially with how much effort they exert on the offensive end.

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With James on the team right now, the pressure to win a championship as soon as possible is immense, so taking him off the squad would also relieve a lot of that pressure from many of the younger players, as well as J.J. Redick, who is entering his second year as the head coach.

In the end, it will be difficult to get James off the roster, even if that is what the Lakers want. They won't get much in a trade return, and he also probably doesn't want to leave. It will be interesting to see if this idea becomes an actual storyline this offseason or not with LeBron's $52 million player option looming.

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