Getty LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Since the end of last season, the LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers partnership seems to have hit a rocky patch.
Suddenly, we seem to be at a standoff between the Lakers’ prized superstar, and their front office, as both waits to see who blinks first. Of course, we’re talking about LeBron’s championing for a Kyrie Irving trade with the Brooklyn Nets, and the front office’s reluctance to provide the assets necessary to get a deal over the line.
However, in a July 9 newsletter, NBA Reporter Marc Stein postulates how the Lakers’ failure to land Irving could in turn cost them LeBron. It is worth noting, that Stein is sharing an educated opinion, along with reminding everybody that LeBron is soon to be extension eligible, and is not reporting this to be fact.
The week in NBA words and sounds …
Icy start to the Lakers’ Vegas trip: t.co/p7SzuAU8lO
70 minutes of NBA talk with @latimessports ledge @BA_Turner: t.co/1KDN4l1fHl
Why this summer’s Transaction Game (hint: Brooklyn) is far from over:
“This is more reminder than reporting: LeBron becomes eligible for a two-year contract extension in the $100 million range on Aug. 4. That’s less than a month away and those talks could (stress: could) be influenced by the state of the Lakers’ roster (or inject the Irving pursuit with some fresh urgency),” Stein wrote in the July 9 edition of the Stein Line Newsletter.
Despite LeBron’s advancing age, he still finished last season with eyewatering statistics, averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game, while shooting 52.4% from the field and 35.9% from the perimeter.
LeBron and Westbrook’s Relationship Hits New Low
While LeBron played a key role in convincing the Lakers front office to pursue Russell Westbrook last summer, it would appear that partnership has run its course – something that has likely been exasperated by the Superstar’s insistence on trading for Irving.
During the Lakers’ opening Summer League game against the Phoenix Suns, the star duo kept their distance from each other, with the pair taking their seats at opposite ends of the arena. Neither LeBron nor Westbrook made any effort to greet the other, and Westbrook reportedly left the facility at half-time.
Lakers fans are nutty but fine here’s where Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are sitting for the Lakers summer league game tonight 😂😂
“There was one notable exception among the visitors: Russell Westbrook, who sat in the opposite corner of Thomas & Mack Center next to the summer league players, stayed on the far side of James…Westbrook was involved in the team huddles, but never trekked across the gym – and neither did James, who arrived and left from a different entrance on the opposite side of the arena,” The Orange County Register’s Kyle Goon reported in a July 8 column.
With LeBron and Westbrook potentially experiencing a breakdown in their relationship, it makes sense why LeBron is pushing to bring Irving to Lakerland, especially if it resolves the problem of Westbrook in the process.
Some Lakers Front Office Members Prefer Different Route
While LeBron is clearly pushing for the Lakers to trade for Irving, it appears that some members of the team’s front office would prefer to take a different approach. According to a recent article by Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney, sections of the Lakers leadership team would rather trade for the Indiana Pacers duo of Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.
“Kyrie Irving has his sights set on donning the jersey Kobe Bryant wore, reuniting with LeBron and joining the Lakers”
This one hurt to edit.. LLKB 💛💜
“Rather than going all-in for Irving, a move supported by star forward LeBron James, some within the organization want to make a wider deal that would send out Russell Westbrook, draft picks, and perhaps guard Talen Horton-Tucker for the veteran Indiana duo of shooter Buddy Hield and center Myles Turner,” Deveney wrote on July 9.
There’s no telling if LeBron’s contract situation could spur the front office into action, and get them onside in the pursuit of Irving, nor if their failure to land the star guard would spell the end for The King in Los Angeles. Either way, it’s a situation worth monitoring.