What did LeBron James say when asked about the Lakers trade plans?
Though he declined to answer questions, the Lakers star has used different channels in the past to make his position clear.
The Lakers star recently made it clear that he’s not the person to be taking questions about the franchise’s trade plans, but it could be argued that he previously indicated just how he felt and it wasn’t positive.
Did LeBron James answer by not answering?
Right here and now, the Lakers aren’t in the best shape and part of the reason for that has been decisions taken by the front office where trades and draft picks are concerned. Needless to say, there are varying opinions as to what the franchise can do about that. On the other hand, if you’re looking for one then don’t ask LeBron James. Following the team’s win over the Washington Wizards on December 18th, James made it clear that he is not the person to be asked about the Lakers’ trade plans, but rather general manager Rob Pelinka.
“Not a question for me,” James said. “I have no idea. When I’m playing, I show up, prepare, go to work and get my guys ready to go win a basketball game. I play the game, I’m not in the front office, so we’ll see. But I’m focused on the game and us trying to win basketball games, especially when I’m out on the floor. Go ask [GM] Rob [Pelinka] those questions.”
Where are the Lakers at right now?
To be clear, that the Lakers options for trade have been at the center of discussion, on every media platform that covers basketball, is par for the course. Russell Westbrook has of course been a focal point, but to be fair to the former MVP, his performances of late have created a situation where he seems likely to be retained. At any rate, it’s almost certain that were the Lakers to try to upgrade their roster they’d almost certainly have to include one of their first-round picks in 2027 or 2029, something they have been firmly against doing.
It’s also worth mentioning, that previous reports have indicated that James himself was guaranteed, that the franchise would use its draft capital to improve the roster. There was also further weight added to the idea when Pelinka said the Lakers would in fact be willing to move their picks but only for the “right” trade. As things stand, there has been no movement, however, it would be unfair not to point out that the team’s 2-10 start would have had a direct effect on proceedings. Though they’ve managed to rise to 11-7 since, Anthony Davis is now set to miss a month with a foot injury which further compounds the problem. Prior to the injury, Davis was quite literally at his best and the Lakers were better for it. In truth, AD has shown himself to be injury prone, which immediately brings into question whether using the aforementioned picks to augment the team now makes sense. What a waste it would be if they were to use their capital in the draft only to have Davis go down once more.
It appears that LeBron James is not happy
As we said above, James doesn’t want to be asked about the Lakers trade plans, but it’s worth noting that he’s actually weighed in on the situation before and on more than one occasion. Consider when he recently stated, that he “does not want to waste a season of his high-level playing days,” which was a relatively clear indication of how he feels about the team. Then, there were his comments on a special episode of “The Shop,” in November, when he was discussing Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the time. “If you have a transcendent franchise player like Aaron Rodgers...Why wouldn’t you surround that, when you got the picks, to maximize what he can do?” A thinly veiled jab at his team’s front office failure perhaps? Ultimately, the Lakers have until February 9th - the trade deadline - to figure out the situation, but they’ve also got to consider what makes the most sense for the long term, considering that their star is about to be 38-years-old and their other one can’t seem to stay healthy.