After the 2024 Paris Olympics glory, one thing has been the constant discussion. Who will lead Team USA in the 2028 LA Olympics after the departure of the Big 3? While Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker emerged as the front runners, Anthony Davis’ participation seemed very doubtful. Even the LA Lakers star himself reluctantly said, “I think so,” when asked about his plans. Amid this confusion, a Lakers insider blamed Rob Pelinka’s failure for crushing AD’s Olympics dream.

The LA side traded in Anthony Davis in 2019 and immediately reaped the benefits as it won the 2020 NBA Bubble Finals. At that time, Davis didn’t take up the center position for the side. Dwight Howard covered his spot for the time being. Following that, the Lakers didn’t really have a true backup for the big man. Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation recently pointed out the grave outcome if the situation continues. Lane warned that it not only wrecks AD’s Olympic dream but also the Lakers’ future.

Lane warned Rob Pelinka, saying, “The biggest shortcoming for the Lakers is not giving Anthony Davis support. Not adding another true big. If this is your plan, AD is going to be ‘the guy’, we’re gonna build the team around post-LeBron, no he’s not!” He further added, “If you continue to burn him out season after season. It’s not just the fact that he played center because I do think, he is mostly a center right now in today’s NBA. Can he play the forward? Yes, he can. You can’t play in the forward when your other big are Jaxon Hayes and Christian Wood and that’s a problem.”

Above all, Trevor Lane added that Anthony Davis has been “moving differently” from his earlier season because of the burden imposed on him. Most importantly, he doubted if Davis would stick with the Lakers until the next Olympics.

Did Rob Pelinka make any effort to lessen Anthony Davis’ burden?

In a recent interaction with the press, Pelinka said, “Our goal is to build a team that can compete for a championship,” both short term and long term. This statement came in after the Lakers’ multiple failed attempts to trade players in the off-season. When Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, and James Harden were available on the market, the Lakers went to a great extent to lure them in, but none of them worked. Notably, the Lakers are yet to crack a trade in the off-season.

Moreover, LeBron James had offered to sacrifice his salary to strengthen the roster a few weeks ago. In his request, which came out via Rich Paul, Bron requested for a veteran big man like Jonas Valanciunas. Unfortunately, it also didn’t come through. Jonas ultimately found his new home with the Washington Wizards.

So it seems like the Lakers have to go through another season, putting a lot of burden on Anthony Davis all over once again. Interestingly, AD played 76 games last season, which is the most he has ever played in his career. Can we repeat it for another season without an injury? Let us know in the comments below.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.