Lakers Rumors: Trading LeBron, Anthony Davis 'Is Against the Organization's Ethos'

Although the Los Angeles Lakers appear to be looking toward the future while trying to win another championship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, an outright rebuild remains anathema for the franchise.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha wrote Tuesday how "rebuilding is the least likely option, if not entirely off the table" in terms of the Lakers' paths forward.

"The Lakers pride themselves on being a star-friendly franchise, and there have been no indications that James or Davis want to leave," he said. "Trading them away, even to better situations from a contention standpoint, is against the organization's ethos."

Look no further than how Los Angeles handled the end of Kobe Bryant's career.

Bryant remained the focal point and was paid handsomely as the Lakers won 48 combined games from 2013-15. Then the entire 2015-16 campaign was dedicated to Kobe's farewell; the fact L.A. had its worst-ever record (17-65) was secondary.

And to be fair, pretty much every Lakers fan doesn't remember how bad that 2015-16 squad was. When it comes to that year, they mostly remember Bryant scoring 60 points in his final NBA game.

But the team's star-centric approach does mean it can be stuck in a form of NBA purgatory.

Los Angeles simply doesn't have the supporting cast around James and Davis to be a championship favorite right now. However, general manager Rob Pelinka is understandably wary about leveraging what's left of the Lakers future in a blockbuster trade that might not even pay off anyway.

Taking a coldly pragmatic view, blowing it all up and going into a rebuild is arguably the best strategy. Look at how deftly the Boston Celtics pivoted away from Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and became a contender again.

As Buha noted, though, that kind of mindset goes against what Jerry Buss instilled within the Lakers and then passed down to his daughter, Jeanie.

As a result, fans are left watching a good but flawed team head toward a likely exit in the postseason that leaves everyone unsatisfied.