He signed an 186M extension, and now Charles Barkley says the Lakers aren't going anywhere without him

The history for the LA Lakers in the last few years after winning their 17th NBA championship title in the 2020 bubble led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis has been the same, the team's constant injury records of their main players have prevented them from repeating winning a title and the squad keeps relying on both stars, especially AD.

Anthony Davis being the purple and gold best player but not being able to play more than 70% of the regular season, has created a complicated landscape for LA in recent memory. Davis is a different player, as LeBron James continues to be one of the best but at 38 years old he can no longer lead the team like he used to do in his younger days.

This is the main reason why the Hall of Famer Charles Barkley believes the Lakers will win the championship title only if Anthony Davis is healthy enough to become an MVP candidate.

“If Anthony Davis is not an MVP candidate, the Lakers are not gonna go anywhere,” Barkley said during a podcast appearance. “… They got very lucky. They had a great draw in the playoffs. But if Anthony Davis is not an MVP candidate, the Lakers are not going to be close to winning a championship.”

The Lakers have depth but still rely on their two superstars

Despite the GM Rob Pelinka making some important signings, none of them was a big name, and the only two big stars for the team remain to be LeBron and AD, without them, the team struggles, which is why many don't bet on the Lakers winning another championship title because their stars are injury-prone.