There was a time for the Los Angeles Lakers to trade LeBron James, as soon as they made their deal for Luka Dončić, when it was clear — before they ever played a game together — that redundancies in their games, especially on the defensive end, would prevent them from contending for an NBA championship.

We have seen no evidence to the contrary, other than a 23-13 record to start the season, which is good for fifth in the Western Conference, as close to the play-in tournament as they are a home playoff seed.

Behind the record is a grim tale. They are the first team ever to compile that record while posting a net rating below zero (-0.7), and they are the only team in the top eight of either conference with a negative net rating. By that metric, they fall between the Charlotte Hornets (14-25) and Memphis Grizzlies (17-22).

If not for a 13-1 record in clutch games, the Lakers might be out of the playoff race entirely. There can be no doubt that the presence of Dončić and James together has benefited them in that regard, since those two just know how to win close games, and the Lakers can hope for them to do the same in the playoffs.

And they may be right to do so. The thought of facing Dončić, James and Austin Reaves in a best-of-seven playoff series is a terrifying proposition for opponents from an offensive standpoint, though as a trio they have scored only 112.2 points per 100 possessions, or the equivalent of a bottom-five offense.

Defensively, they are atrocious as a trio, allowing 119.5 points per 100 possessions, roughly the same defensive rating as the nine-win New Orleans Pelicans. They are not much better as a team on the year. The addition of center Deandre Ayton, a No. 1 overall pick, has made no impact on that end whatsoever.

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"We doing s***," Marcus Smart recently said of the Lakers' defense. "We're being real s***ty right now, and it's showing. ... Every team goes through it trying to figure it out. You just pray that it happens early and we can fix it before it's too late. But there's really no defense, no scheme we can do when we're giving up offensive rebounds in crucial moments like we are, or guys are getting wherever they want on the court.

"And there's no help, there's no resistance, there's no urgency," added the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. "So, it's tough. And [Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] is right. There's really nothing he can do. It's on us."

In fact, any combination of Dončić, James and Reaves is a problem, save for one notable exception ...

What does this chart tell us about the Lakers? It tells us they have no shot, mathematically, of competing, if James is on the floor. It is not realistic to think they will compete without James, either. They cannot bench one of the game's greatest-ever players — and his max salary — and hope to win.

So, what to do? They could consider trading James again, as they did last season, when the Golden State Warriors reportedly came calling in an effort to pair the NBA's all-time leading scorer with Stephen Curry.

Of that deal ever coming to fruition, James' agent, Rich Paul, said recently, "It's not going to happen."

Nor is it likely James is traded anywhere else.

"Tricky," one league source described the process of trading James at this point. To say the least.

Not impossible, though, even if James owns a no-trade clause.

James is 41 years old, and his $52.6 million salary expires at season's end. He is still averaging a 22-6-7 on 51/32/71 shooting splits, but his advanced metrics are at their worst since his rookie season in 2003-04. He recently missed a game against the San Antonio Spurs with both right sciatica and left foot arthritis.

He may still be able to touch rarified air for a stretch, but to think he can do it over the course of a series, or four of them, for that matter, is too much to ask. Every other team understands that as well. What team a) imagines itself a 41-year-old LeBron James away from a title and b) can give up enough to satisfy the Lakers' asking price and still have enough left over to contend? Good luck discovering one.

Oh, and James would have to approve the deal, which he might, if it were to give another shot at a ring.

There is another avenue for the Lakers to take: Reinforce the roster around Dončić and James. They have a bunch of mid-tiered contracts, along with their 2031 first-round draft pick, to package for an upgrade. That is probably not enough to cure what ails the Lakers, unless they include Reaves in the deal, and even that likely would not be enough to get them in a conversation for someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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Barring a move on that scale, the Lakers are in trouble. No one piece changes their fortunes. More likely, building a contender around Dončić will take an overhaul of the roster. That they will not do this season.

Most likely, Lakers executive Rob Pelinka will make a move on the margins for someone to complement Dončić, James and Reaves, and the underlying issue — building a defense around that trio — will remain. 

"Pelinka may be in trouble," the source said. "He will do less than people want."

That is the case for most teams, to be fair. Constructing a contender overnight is hard. But that is what the Lakers have tried to do ever since acquiring Dončić. They have tried to serve two masters — the 26-year-old face of their franchise and a 41-year-old James, who is desperate to win again before he retires.

That has not worked. We knew it would not work. And yet here we are, still trying to fix the problems we anticipated. It is time now, as it was a year ago, for the Lakers to choose a direction, and it is the obvious one: Put everything in their power behind building around Dončić, not James, even if that means letting an all-time great walk for nothing at the end of the season. The final alternative? Mutually parting ways.

For, if you cannot build a championship-caliber defense around Dončić, James and Reaves, and they do not want to trade Reaves in a last-ditch effort to build around James, what other choice do they have? His $52.6 million salary, as of now, can surely be better spent elsewhere in free agency over the summer.

This is the conundrum the Lakers have forced themselves into: Carry James as a detriment to the roster, trade him for little of value in return, or let him walk for nothing. It would be a disappointing end for an all-time great's tenure in Los Angeles, though maybe it was always the most likely one for any 41-year-old.