The NBA losers' lineup: LeBron James, the Lakers get the starting spot – where should fantasy managers send him next season?

Welcome to The Loser Lineup, where we look at what teams eliminated from the playoffs need to do to improve their fantasy basketball play. As the dust settles on this season's disappointments, it is time for these teams to strategize, rebuild and revitalize their rosters for a chance at redemption next season. Join us as we explore the critical moves and player ratings that could change the fantasy landscape by next year.

This story will be continually updated as each NBA team travels to Cancún and we add them to the losing roster.

The obvious move for this team to get back into shape next season is to bring back LeBron James. He still plays at an elite level and his success raises the level for others. Fantasy managers can feel comfortable selecting James in the third round next year.

And while Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell had their best fantasy campaigns in years, I would consider including Russell or Austin Reaves in a trade package to acquire a true point guard who can reduce the demand for a soon-to-be 40-something – year old LBJ.

The other glaring change that needs to be made is leaving Darvin Ham as head coach of this team. His inability to make in-game adjustments and tweak rotations frequently diminished, and it's clear this team needs another leader in the locker room.

The Pels have a ton of fantasy potential, as they had four players ranked in the top 100 in nine leagues this season. Zion Williamson narrowly missed the cut with 103. While the current squad has won 49 games and secured the eighth seed in the West, a first-round win is all but a guarantee that change is on the way. Given the emergence of Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones as one of the league's best defenders, we could expect a scenario where Zion or Brandon Ingram is traded.

Their salaries and CJ McCollum's take up a significant portion of New Orleans' cap space, so moving one of them would give the Pelicans more flexibility in filling some needs up front and in the second unit.

Of course, if Zion or BI gets moved, it will raise eyebrows in fantasy, so we'll wait and see how that plays out.

A first-round win, let alone an elimination, is grounds for dismissal for one of the Big Three. Devin Booker is their franchise player, leaving one of Bradley Beal or Kevin Durant left. And since Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause (yuck), the Suns should pay attention and explore trade options for KD.

Phoenix re-signed Grayson Allen, but there are still many more holes to fill and moving KD could add more role players or raise capital for the future. If that happens, Booker could move up to late first-round draft status by next season.

Keep it locked here as more teams are eliminated from the NBA playoffs and the list of losing lineups is complete…