LA Lakers staring down the barrel at a decade of irrelevance: NBA Analyst

The LA Lakers are searching for answers. After Wednesday night's 114-101 loss to the LA Clippers, the Lakers find themselves with a 2-9 record.

It's been a nightmare start. After losing their first five games of the season, the team rattled off two consecutive wins. That glimpse of hope has been diminished, as the team has now lost four straight. The Lakers are running out of options and time, the most precious commodity for their veteran roster.

The Lakers organization has been aggressive over the years in their efforts to contend for a title. Once the team signed LeBron James in 2018, the goal was to compete for championships. This has resulted in the front office mortgaging the future to acquire roster pieces.

Time has finally caught up, and the Lakers have a depleted roster. To make matters worse, the team has also shipped out the majority of its future draft capital. Sports analyst Colin Cowherd echoed that the team is in troubled waters right now.

"Do Lakers fans understand this? You are staring down the barrel at a decade of irrelevance," Cowherd said. "And you've mostly been irrelevant for 8-9 years before LeBron. Does everybody get how urgent this is?"

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LA Lakers lose their fourth consecutive game

LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham

The time for the LA Lakers to hit the panic button has arrived. The team, which went 33-49 last season, is second to last in the Western Conference. With the path the Lakers are on, it would suggest that drastic changes are required.

After finishing 11h in the Western Conference last year, the hope was that a new season would bring different results. The team hired first-time head coach Darvin Ham this offseason. While the Lakers find themselves down in the standings, Ham cannot be blamed for the roster at hand.

LeBron James has been one of the league's top superstars throughout his career. Ever since joining the Lakers in 2018, the organization has done everything to keep their star forward happy. That included trading a number of young players to find talent that was ready to contend immediately.

One of those players was superstar forward Anthony Davis. The big man was acquired via trade from the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019. In exchange for Davis included players such as Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart.

The most notable part of that trade package was the inclusion of three first-round draft picks. One of those draft picks includes the 2023 NBA draft. As it stands now, the LA Lakers are set to select second overall (lottery aside). Unfortunately, they won't get that opportunity as the pick is controlled by New Orleans.

With a lack of tradable assets on the roster, some difficult decisions could be on the horizon for management. One of those decisions could involve superstar forward Anthony Davis. Still just 29 years old, Davis has the most trade value of any player on the team. Time will tell if the front office is willing to part with one of their best players.