LeBron James says he shouldn’t be asked about los angeles lakers‘Potential trade plan. Following team victory Washington Wizards On December 18, James said those questions should be directed to general manager Rob Pelinka.
“This is not a question for me.” james said“I don’t know. When I’m playing, I show up, get ready, go to work, get my men ready to win basketball games. I play games, I’m not in the front office, so I know. But, Especially when I’m on the floor, I’m focused on trying to win games and basketball games.”
“Go ask [GM] Rob [Pelinka] those questions. ”
Few topics have generated as many headlines and TV/radio/podcast conversations as Lakers trade options. Whether Westbrook is included or not, any move the Lakers make for a significant upgrade will include the widely-coveted 2027 season. and one or both of the 2029 first-round picks.
Whether or not the Lakers would actually move those picks was a million-dollar question. Preseason report from Marc Stein, James has been promised the team will use its draft assets to improve its roster, but Pelinka said on media day the Lakers were willing to trade them. But only “correct” transactions.
So far, however, nothing has happened. This is largely due to the Lakers’ embarrassing 2-10 start to the season and finishing bottom of the league standings. At that point, there was no point in moving the pick.Since then, trade talks have resumed with an 11-7 record, but before anything could get off the ground, Anthony Davis was injured and now Missed a month with leg injury.
Davis, who was playing the best basketball of his career before his injury, has carried the Lakers on occasion this season. Net valuation is +2.7 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor, and plummets to -6.6 when he’s not. His looming absence and the fact that he is prone to injuries puts the Lakers in a tough spot. Trading those picks to maximize James-AD’s window is one thing if we can guarantee they’re healthy. But there’s a real risk that they could trade picks and Davis get hurt again, wasting both the present and the future.
James, who turns 38 on December 30, says he doesn’t want to deal with the dilemma. he made his feelings clear through other roads. A report from Bleacher Report said James “doesn’t want to waste a season of high-level play.” On a special episode of “The Shop” in November, James spoke about Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, saying, “If you have a transcendent franchise player like Aaron Rodgers… if he What are your picks to maximize what you can do?” That remark certainly seemed like a reference to the Lakers.
The trade deadline is Feb. 9, so there’s still about two months left if the Lakers want to pursue this path. But if they struggled during the interim period without Davis and dropped down the standings in the West, it might not be worth signing a deal when he returns.
