LeBron James is prepping for his exit from the Los Angeles Lakers. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
It feels like we’ve seen this story before and it looks like we’re seeing it again when it comes to LeBron James’ final days with the Los Angeles Lakers.
James is the best player of his generation and widely considered to be the second-best player ever. He has earned every right to have an input on his team’s roster decisions. Unfortunately, he’s also earned the right to send mixed messages when he’s unhappy with his current team’s direction.
The 2021-22 Lakers currently sit in the ninth place in the Western Conference with a 27-31 record. They’re six games behind the sixth-seeded Denver Nuggets, which means they are almost ensured of participating in the play-in tournament if they want to earn a spot in the playoffs.
The Lakers failed to execute a major trade — or any trade, for that matter — at the deadline, with general manager Rob Pelinka even going so far as to reject a potential John Wall-for-Westbrook trade from the Houston Rockets due to not wanting to give up a 2027 first-round draft pick.
As reported by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, that decision did not sit well with James’ agents.
All of this combined has appear to set James past his breaking point. During All-Star weekend, the 37-year-old sent a number of messages, including flirting with the idea of returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third stint.
“The door’s not closed on that,” James told The Athletic last Saturday on a potential return to Cleveland. “I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t even know when I’m free.”
He didn’t stop there, as he also made it clear that he plans to play with his son, Bronny, when he becomes draft-eligible during the 2024 NBA Draft.
“My last year will be played with my son,” James said. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
During the course of All-Star weekend, he also gave approval to Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti — which appeared to be an indirect jab to his own GM, Pelinka.
James’ contract with the Lakers is up at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. That goes hand-in-hand with the expiration of Westbrook’s deal. It also aligns with the final conclusion of this terrible experiment with Westbrook.
It was with James’ approval that the Lakers made the move for Westbrook. While Pelinka certainly deserves blame as the actual executive who made the move, James deserves equal blame for courting Westbrook and encouraging the trade.
James and Pelinka’s short-sighted view of the Lakers acquiring a mega star led to the current team’s roster construction. Due to Westbrook’s bloated salary of over $44 million this season — it will balloon to $47 million next season — the Lakers were forced to fill their roster with older, veteran’s minimum players.
To no one’s surprise, the roster just doesn’t fit together.
Los Angeles’ aimless season isn’t getting any better. Not only did they fail — or refuse — in making a move that could have changed the trajectory of their season, they haven’t made any moves in the buyout market.
One of their potential targets, point guard Goran Dragic, instead opted to sign with a Brooklyn Nets squad that recently ended an 11-game losing streak.
It’s hard to envision a scenario where things get better for the 2022-23 season if the Lakers can’t find a taker in the offseason for Westbrook’s expiring contract.
James’ comments over All-Star break wasn’t for fun and it wasn’t for the purpose of random conversation. The purpose was to send a message to the Lakers and the rest of the NBA that James will be considering potential suitors in the near future.
It’s unclear at this point where James’ next best destination is. While he did lead the Lakers to a championship in 2020, the other seasons haven’t been pretty in the Western Conference. James missed the playoffs in 2019, suffered a first-round exit in 2021 and might miss the playoffs altogether again in 2022.
It would appear his best best is to head back to the Eastern Conference. But with who? The Cavaliers might not even take him back as they’ve emerged as one of the best teams in the East with a young core.
James’ future in the NBA may be uncertain, but his future with the Lakers is not.
Unless Pelinka and the Lakers are able to rid themselves of Westbrook’s contract, James is as good as gone in 2023.
James may be near the end of his career, but he’s still able to control the narrative — as he always has.
LeBron James’ Recent Comments Is Setting Up Eventual Exit From Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James is prepping for his exit from the Los Angeles Lakers. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
It feels like we’ve seen this story before and it looks like we’re seeing it again when it comes to LeBron James’ final days with the Los Angeles Lakers.
James is the best player of his generation and widely considered to be the second-best player ever. He has earned every right to have an input on his team’s roster decisions. Unfortunately, he’s also earned the right to send mixed messages when he’s unhappy with his current team’s direction.
The 2021-22 Lakers currently sit in the ninth place in the Western Conference with a 27-31 record. They’re six games behind the sixth-seeded Denver Nuggets, which means they are almost ensured of participating in the play-in tournament if they want to earn a spot in the playoffs.
The Lakers failed to execute a major trade — or any trade, for that matter — at the deadline, with general manager Rob Pelinka even going so far as to reject a potential John Wall-for-Westbrook trade from the Houston Rockets due to not wanting to give up a 2027 first-round draft pick.
As reported by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, that decision did not sit well with James’ agents.
All of this combined has appear to set James past his breaking point. During All-Star weekend, the 37-year-old sent a number of messages, including flirting with the idea of returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third stint.
“The door’s not closed on that,” James told The Athletic last Saturday on a potential return to Cleveland. “I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t even know when I’m free.”
He didn’t stop there, as he also made it clear that he plans to play with his son, Bronny, when he becomes draft-eligible during the 2024 NBA Draft.
“My last year will be played with my son,” James said. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
During the course of All-Star weekend, he also gave approval to Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti — which appeared to be an indirect jab to his own GM, Pelinka.
James’ contract with the Lakers is up at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. That goes hand-in-hand with the expiration of Westbrook’s deal. It also aligns with the final conclusion of this terrible experiment with Westbrook.
It was with James’ approval that the Lakers made the move for Westbrook. While Pelinka certainly deserves blame as the actual executive who made the move, James deserves equal blame for courting Westbrook and encouraging the trade.
James and Pelinka’s short-sighted view of the Lakers acquiring a mega star led to the current team’s roster construction. Due to Westbrook’s bloated salary of over $44 million this season — it will balloon to $47 million next season — the Lakers were forced to fill their roster with older, veteran’s minimum players.
To no one’s surprise, the roster just doesn’t fit together.
Los Angeles’ aimless season isn’t getting any better. Not only did they fail — or refuse — in making a move that could have changed the trajectory of their season, they haven’t made any moves in the buyout market.
One of their potential targets, point guard Goran Dragic, instead opted to sign with a Brooklyn Nets squad that recently ended an 11-game losing streak.
It’s hard to envision a scenario where things get better for the 2022-23 season if the Lakers can’t find a taker in the offseason for Westbrook’s expiring contract.
James’ comments over All-Star break wasn’t for fun and it wasn’t for the purpose of random conversation. The purpose was to send a message to the Lakers and the rest of the NBA that James will be considering potential suitors in the near future.
It’s unclear at this point where James’ next best destination is. While he did lead the Lakers to a championship in 2020, the other seasons haven’t been pretty in the Western Conference. James missed the playoffs in 2019, suffered a first-round exit in 2021 and might miss the playoffs altogether again in 2022.
It would appear his best best is to head back to the Eastern Conference. But with who? The Cavaliers might not even take him back as they’ve emerged as one of the best teams in the East with a young core.
James’ future in the NBA may be uncertain, but his future with the Lakers is not.
Unless Pelinka and the Lakers are able to rid themselves of Westbrook’s contract, James is as good as gone in 2023.
James may be near the end of his career, but he’s still able to control the narrative — as he always has.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/djsiddiqi/2022/02/24/lebron-james-recent-comments-is-setting-up-eventual-exit-from-los-angeles-lakers/