For any LeBron James detractors hoping the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly trade the future Hall-of-Famer before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, don’t get your hopes up.
Things have been getting intriguing at Crypto.com Arena lately, and it isn’t because the Lakers are on fire. After another sluggish start to the season, many in the organization are feeling the pressure from the Lakers’ disappointing 27-25 record. It has sparked trade talk, put head coach Darvin Ham on the hot seat, and some classic LeBron James passive-aggressive tactics.
Following a recent loss, the NBA icon took to X, formerly Twitter, to share an hourglass emoji. It appears that time is running out for their opportunities to improve the roster. Then, over the weekend, the future Hall of Famer hinted that his time in Los Angeles could be
Despite his public tactic of passive-aggressively pushing the front office to make changes, a new report indicates they will not be pushed to make the wrong option only to please their top star.
coming to an end and that he’d be willing to play for the New York Knicks before his career was finished.
ESPN NBA expert Brian Windhorst discussed James’ comments on the Lakers on Sunday morning, and it appears that, despite being a master of persuasion through passive-aggressive tactics, this newest attempt is having no effect on the organization’s strategy before the NBA trade deadline on February 8.
“The Lakers, according to sources, have not reacted to LeBron’s moves, including donning the Knicks towel last night, and they have kind of stood steady in their conversations,” Windhorst said (via B/R). “The issue with the Lakers is that they just have a couple of draft assets remaining, and they really want to keep them.”
James has a player option worth more than $51 million this summer. While it appears improbable that he might opt not to use it, he allegedly wants another NBA title before retiring in the next several seasons. So he surely has the power to coerce the Los Angeles Lakers into making a trade. It’ll be interesting to see how the franchise handles the following few days.
