Will superstar LeBron James be a part of LA Lakers trade package? Know more details about LBJ’s potential trade options
38-year-old LeBron James is getting frustrated with every single passing day. The LA Lakers are having a bad season and LeBron seems to can’t take it anymore.
On Wednesday, the Lakers faced the Miami Heat and suffered a crushing defeat of 98 – 112; despite King James’ heroic effort of 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. As his effort went to waste, LBJ let his feelings known.
After the frustrating game loss against Miami, James told at the press conference that he doesn’t want to finish his career “playing at this level from a team aspect.” He further added:
“I’m a winner, and I want to win. And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion. That has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio.
“And I know it takes steps to get there, but once you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It’s not in my DNA anymore. So we’ll see what happens and see how fresh my mind stays over the next couple years.”
However, LeBron’s comments were not received well by many parties. The above comments of James have provoked personalities in several ways.
Lakers columnist Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times has gone ahead and said that the LA Lakers should trade LeBron James instead of meeting his demands to upgrade the roster in a meaningful way, which almost surely would cost the franchise its 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks.
Plaschke wrote:
“It has long been believed the Lakers wouldn’t have the brashness to make such a deal. But now he’s given them a reason. They’re not dumping a legend, they’re simply abiding by his request, which changes the scenario completely.
“Seriously, how much longer can they believe that James is still capable of leading a young core into the playoffs? When are they finally going to admit that James is a wasted talent without contributions from Davis, and when are they going to realize Davis might never be a consistent star again?
“Continuing to build a team around James with the expectation that he is still capable of carrying a team of role players to a title is the definition of insanity.”
The Lakers are currently having a record of 15 – 21 and stand 13th in the Western Conference. The days are getting tough for the Lakers as Anthony Davis is out with an injury and 38-year-old LBJ is finding it hard to carry the team with no help.
With the current performance of Lakers, it can be said confidently that they will miss this season’s Playoffs.
This is the second straight season the Lakers have underperformed. During the 2021-22 campaign, Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record and missed the playoffs.
Meanwhile, four-time NBA champion James is playing his 20thNBA season, averaging 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in 27 games while shooting 49.8 percent from the floor and 29.7 percent from deep.
The Lakers can’t build a contending roster as of now because of contract obligations involving Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis.
Furthermore, the Lakers might entertain the idea of trading James, but it’s unclear what the franchise would expect for him. A player like that of LBJ’s talents would fetch a huge haul and if Lebron demands a trade, the franchise won’t have much leverage.
Additionally, James is under contract through the 2024-25 season after agreeing to a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Lakers in August. That contract would be costly for many contending teams.