Lakers: Shaq Issues Stark Warning to Los Angeles About Trading LeBron James

Former Lakers big man is completely against the Lakers trading LeBron James, and he had a warning for them franchise.

It's not that the Lakers have necessarily given up on this season yet. But the conversations around the team have already shifted to the offseason, which is understandable. The team has a lot they need to fix, and talking about a number 9 seed in danger of falling out of contention is tough. 

There have been NBA analysts all over giving their take on solutions to remedy the Lakers issues. Trades are the obvious, with a number of big names already coming up in discussions. 

The idea of shipping out Anthony Davis was already mentioned earlier in the week, something that could net them the draft capital they need. But with seemingly growing tensions between the organization and LeBron James, his name has surfaced as well. 

It's been a tumultuous month for the Lakers and LeBron James, and we're not even talking on the court. His All-Star weekend comments had fans and media talking all week, even though he tried to dispel any rumors in the days following. 

But at least one person thinks trading LBJ would be the demise of the Lakers, and that's Shaq. He issued a warning about that on CNBC on Monday morning. 

“If you trade LeBron, you’ll never win again. ... If you put LeBron around the right guys, he's definitely going to win. So I think whoever put the team together needs to step up and try to fix it."

The Lakers are bad, and their future doesn't look promising. Outside of a 2027 and 2029 first-round draft pick, they don't even have much to offer on the trade market. So while trading LBJ probably isn't the move, something has to be done this offseason.