Shaquille O’Neal believes Lakers will be doomed if they trade LeBron James

Shaquille O’Neal shared his thoughts on Lakers’ struggles and whether trading LeBron James would solve their issues.

O’Neal, a four-time champion and NBA Hall of Famer, believes Los Angeles will have no chance to win if they trade James.

“If you trade LeBron, you will never win again. If you put LeBron around the right guys, they are definitely going to win.

I think whoever put the team together needs to step up and try and fix it,” O’Neal told CNBC, via NBA Central.

Photo: Alexandros Tsakos/Hedge Out

The Lakers have won three of their last 10 games and currently are ninth in the West, at 27-33. The 17-time NBA champions are struggling on both ends and their playoff presence is in jeopardy.

Los Angeles is 8.5 games behind sixth-placed Denver Nuggets (36-25). The latter hold the final spot for the direct qualification to the postseason.

For his part, LeBron James has been the best Lakers player this season, posting MVP-caliber numbers.

He is averaging 29.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. The four-time NBA champion is also shooting at 51.9 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Coming off a blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans (123-95), the Lakers want to return to the winning track. They will host the Dallas Mavericks (36-25) on Tuesday, aiming to snap a two-game winnig streak.

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