Plaschke: LeBron James’ golden Olympics wasted on tarnished Lakers

He carried this country to gold.

But he might not be able to carry the Lakers into the playoffs?

He was the leader of the team that beat the best in the world.

But he might not be able to lead the Lakers past the Memphis Grizzlies?

The dilemma facing LeBron James and the team that can’t possibly bring him a championship became starkly clear this summer when one of James’ shining career moments only caused Los Angeles to sigh.

What greatness. What a waste.

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What a gift. What a squander.

The rest of the world marveled as the 39-year-old James led Team USA to a fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

Meanwhile, his city only winced and wondered, why can’t he be doing this for us?

The rest of the world had rarely seen anything like it, James winning Olympics MVP honors by unleashing his incredible age-proof skills during six breathtaking wins, leading the team in minutes, rebounds and assists.

Meanwhile, his city only cringed and thought, yeah, we’ve seen these sorts of great bursts from him before, but he wears down without help. Where’s the help?

During a summer when the Dodgers have been setting themselves up for another deep playoff run, the Lakers have once again stolen the headlines by setting themselves up for more deep embarrassment.

If they can’t contend for a title in what is surely the final two seasons of James’ storied career, then his time here has represented the biggest blown opportunity in the history of Los Angeles sports.

Worse than the Kings failing to win a Stanley Cup with Wayne Gretzky. Worse than the Clippers destroying Lob City. Worse than USC failing to play for a national title with Caleb Williams. And, yes, even worse than the Dodgers winning those 10 division championships with only one short-season title to show for it.

This would be a failure of LeBron-sized proportions, having the best player in history wearing one of the winningest uniforms in history during some of the best moments in his personal history … and never winning a full-season championship.

Yes, they won the bubble title with him in 2020 but, as the years have passed, that bubble increasingly bursts into the reality that it was an abnormal, abbreviated schedule that perfectly favored an aging star like LeBron. All of it was admirable, but part of it doesn’t feel real.

The hard truth is, since LeBron showed up six seasons ago, they’ve only been to that one short-season NBA Finals, only two Western Conference finals, and a whole bunch of early summers.

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This is why this space has repeatedly called for James to be traded — so they can end his stifling stranglehold on the organization and let them breathe again, rebuild again, win again.

That, of course, is not happening. That much became clear this summer when James had an umpteenth chance to ask out or walk out and he did neither, signing a two-year deal, with $101 million guaranteed, that will likely carry him to the end of his career here.

Even the most devoted LeBron doubters must finally admit, he’s not leaving.

This means the Lakers should do whatever it takes to make it worth his stay.

Do it quickly. Do it definitively. Do it not for him — got four rings — but for yourself, your history, your legacy.

Rob Pelinka, this space hereby promises not to rip you for any wild swings you take in an effort to rescue LeBron’s final years.

You want to trade fan favorite Austin Reaves? Go for it. You want to trade the tormented D’Angelo Russell? Do it. Rui Hachimura? Gone. Jarred Vanderbilt? Gone.

Two future first-round draft picks in 2029 and 2031? Done and done.

Anthony Davis? Well, OK, not Anthony Davis, not now anyway. He is obviously the second piece in the Lakers’ Big Three, a trio required to compete for a championship, a triumvirate that is one player short.

Find that player, but don’t sacrifice Davis, who also had a memorable Olympics, at one early point carrying the team with James and setting up a humiliating narrative.

Two Lakers starred in the capture of a gold medal, yet their real team might not even be able to steal a play-in game?

It’s not that Pelinka hasn’t tried. He just needs to try harder. After a failed summer during which the only acquisitions were a poor defending shooting guard, a nepo baby and a head coach who has never coached, he needs to do better.

Pelinka set the organization back when he gutted the heart of the 2020 title team by trading or losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma.

He set it back further when he listened to LeBron and acquired Russell Westbrook.

He seemed to save himself two seasons ago when he extricated the Lakers from Westbrook and added key pieces that led the team to the Western Conference finals.

But those pieces — Hachimura, Russell, Vanderbilt — all struggled to produce an encore last season while Lakers fans were grumbling about the young star who should have been here.

Yeah, missing on Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the draft counts against Pelinka too.

You see where this is going, right?

LeBron carried Team USA. Now Pelinka has to carry LeBron.

It’s going to be difficult because nobody likes to trade with the Lakers, and, apparently, nobody wants to play for the Lakers.

How on earth does Klay Thompson turn down more money and a homecoming to sign instead with the Dallas Mavericks? That’s because he didn’t think these Lakers could win. Honestly, nobody thinks these Lakers can win.

Every preseason survey ranks them near the bottom of the West and unable to rise to even the play-in tournament. And, just watch, every preseason prognosticator will point to LeBron’s brilliant Olympics and come to the same conclusion.

What a shame. What a loss. What are the Lakers doing?

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.