With the Lakers unable to win consistently on the floor, there is plenty of drama off of it. NBA trade speculations have surfaced in the last week, with Christian Wood possibly subtweeting Darvin Ham and LeBron James
With the club mired in mediocrity at 25-25 in the middle of a six-game road trip, there was even talk of the Lakers perhaps dealing James. So much so that his agency went on record on the subject.
“LeBron will not be dealt, and we will not ask to be,” Rich Paul told ESPN.
With James missing the Lakers’ game against the Boston Celtics, he hasn’t talked to the media since his cryptic tweet or addressed recent reports, so it was certainly the topic of discussion during shootaround.
When asked whether he wanted to clarify what the hourglass emoji meant, James simply said “no.”
When asked what he planned to do with his player option for next year, he provided the same answer.
So, is this all for naught or is there something more to it? The answer, like so many other questions in life, is complicated.
James is unlikely to ever tell us what he plans to do. He’s never gone on record before to his departure from his previous teams, so why would he cause so much trouble now?
However, it’s no surprise James is c
Having that player option and stating that he is unsure what he will do puts pressure on the Lakers management to make a move to enhance this club.
James is still an NBA All-Star starter who plays at an exceptional level, and the Lakers are the ninth seed. That is simply not good enough. James has every right to expect more from any team he is a part of in order to win his fifth championship.
If the Lakers want him to be part of that club, they’ll have to either upgrade at guard or hope that head coach Darvin Ham can modify lineups and go on a run similar to last year’s.
Otherwise, this summer, the Lakers could
ausing a stir with his passive-aggressive comments and tweets as we enter the final week of the deal.
