The Los Angeles Lakers Will Win the NBA Title Next Year

So long as the Lakers can win the Battle for Los Angeles, the Larry O'Brien Trophy will be theirs to lose in 2020.

It doesn't matter that LeBron James is coming off the biggest injury of his career.

It doesn't matter that DeMarcus Cousins is in the midst of another serious injury.

It doesn't matter what happened between Magic Johnson and Jeannie Buss last spring.

What matters is that the Lakers got Anthony Davis.

Look, I can't promise you James will never be back to what he was in Cleveland or Miami, but he doesn't need to be the number one guy anymore. Davis was the one on a team that didn't have the fanbase, media market, coaching, or ownership the Lakers do. Now that he has that, he can be the number one guy in likely the best basketball market. The guy forced his way out and is where he wants to be.

As for competition, the Clippers are the only team that can challenge the Lakers because the Warriors lost Kevin Durant, who won't be able to make the Nets truly relevant until the 2020-2021 season due to his injury. This makes for parity in the East and a more worn-down team representing it in the finals. It also puts the Lakers in a win-now situation. James is aging, Davis is in his prime, and guys like Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins will not be in this league for too long.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are both going to a new team, whereas James and Rondo have had time already with the Lakers, and Davis has been ready to play there for a while. The NBA's next championship banner will be hung in Staples Center, and it'll be purple and gold.