SAN FRANCISCO — The Lakers’ superteam might be done before it ever accomplished anything of note.

The team announced Thursday morning that LeBron James (left ankle soreness), Anthony Davis (right foot soreness) and Russell Westbrook (right shoulder soreness) will sit out the third-to-last game of the regular season against the Golden State Warriors. After getting eliminated from postseason contention on Tuesday night, there’s nothing left for the Lakers (31-48) to strive for except avoiding their most dubious benchmarks.

As of Thursday afternoon, it was clear if the trio would be shut down for the remainder of the season. But if so, the once-anticipated superstar team up will finish the year having played just 21 games together with a 11-10 record, and there’s serious doubt that the experiment will continue after a historical underwhelming campaign.

James will miss his third consecutive game and his fifth in his last sixth since spraining his ankle March 27. Davis played in the previous three games after missing 18 in a row, but has visibly struggled with lingering soreness in his foot.

The most intriguing scratch is Westbrook, who played in 78 of 79 previous games – his only absence coming the night before the trade deadline in February. He’s averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field in his first season in L.A., which went so poorly, there is widespread speculation it will be his last.

The Lakers had high hopes for Westbrook when they traded for him last summer. General manager Rob Pelinka described it as “an aggressive move that we felt bettered our probability to bring the 18th title to the Los Angeles Lakers.”

But injuries and poor chemistry troubled the arrangement from the start. The Lakers never rose more than four games above .500 as James and Davis missed extensive time on the floor with injuries, and Westbrook slumped in the middle of the season. The team also struggled with its rotation, trying 39 different starting lineups in its first 79 games and using two-way players and 10-day contract players as key pieces on the floor.

In their 21 games, James, Davis and Westbrook had a minus-3.5 net rating. Their last, best shot at winning a needed game together came Friday as they lost by three points to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Westbrook labored as much as anyone in the organization. He bristled at being benched in several instances by the coaching staff, and he acknowledged he was bothered by what he deemed “shaming” and harassment by fans, even in his home arena.

The 2017 MVP winner has had a rocky road the past few years, traded three times in three offseasons. Media reports have cited Houston and Charlotte as possible trade partners with the Lakers if the organization deems it necessary to move on.

Related Articles

On Tuesday night, Westbrook and Davis said they wished to give the superteam another go.

“When we put this team together, we had championship aspirations, and once again, injuries have gotten in the way of that,” Davis said. “I think you would love to see. I think the world would love to see. I think we would love to see what this team could be if we were healthy for the full 82. If that repeats next year, we have the same team, who knows?”