With a new head coach, and some fresh faces, the Los Angeles Lakers are now looking for a new point guard. The franchise reportedly wants to upgrade its point guard from D’Angelo Russell, mostly for his inconsistent performances in the last two postseasons. Since most of the big-name free agents are off the market now, the team is looking for the missing piece through a trade. Meanwhile, an ex-NBA star believes LeBron James to be the solution to the problem.

This came from Kenyon Martin in a recent episode of Gil’s Arena. “LeBron plays the point guard… He can guard the 4 (power forward) on the other end,” Martin said on the podcast. He further stated that Anthony Davis claims to be the Defensive Player of the Year, so he should guard the small forward on the other end.

Martin further backed his statement by mentioning when he thought he was the best, he guarded players like Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Reggie Miller, and Glenn Robinson, among many others. And LeBron can do the same. As far as LeBron James as the point guard claim goes, the LA Lakers have already experimented with that in the 2019-20 season.

Not only did the team win the championship that season, but the King emerged as a tremendous point guard. Throughout the season, he recorded his best stats in terms of assists with 10.2 per game. While his playmaking ability peaked, the 20x All-Star did not let his scoring suffer. He averaged 25.3 points with 7.2 rebounds per game leading the franchise to its 17th championship. So Martin may as well be on to something with his suggestion of Bron as the next Lakers’ PG.

Why do the Lakers want to replace D’Angelo Russell as the point guard?

The primary reason is the inconsistency that Russell has had in his recent run. And the franchise would not want to pair him with Bron, who is also turning 40 amid such inconsistencies. Notably, Russell averaged just 14.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.8 rebounds against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Playoffs last season.

As a result, the team faced an embarrassing 4-1 loss in the series after somehow saving themselves from a sweep. The Lakers guard may seem decent with stats but has been highly inconsistent. While he scored 20+ points in two games against the Nuggets in the playoffs, he failed to score even a single point in Game 3.

The Lakers look at Russell as a valuable piece in their trade possibility. Meanwhile, the 28-year-old’s former team reportedly showed some interest in him. Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer wrote, “The Nets have been open to welcoming Russell back to Barclays Center since this past trade deadline, sources said.” However, the New York Post’s sources believe the Nets and Russell reunion is less likely to happen. Now, it’s to be seen where the Lakers’ desire to upgrade their point guard from D’Lo ends.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.