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LeBron James disputed a report that he’s pushing the Los Angeles Lakers to make a trade, saying he’s calm amid the team’s five-game winning streak.
James took issue with a story from Sam Amick of The Athletic that alleged the four-time MVP’s patience was waning with the Lakers in terms of making an impactful trade.
“Y’all know what the f**k should be happening,” James told The Athletic in what Amick dubbed a short conversation. “I don’t need to talk.”
But James felt the framing of the quote was mischaracterized, which he addressed in a series of tweets once the story started to make its rounds.
“Hey Sam actually my patience isn’t waning. You make it sound like I’m frustrated when I’m really not. I told you over and over, my job is focused on the guys in the locker room, my job isn’t the roster. That’s the reality of that conversation. And I said what I said with the upmost respect and calmness cause that’s the mood I’m in! Your welcome! 5 game winning streak.”
As James notes, the Lakers have interested themselves back into relevancy with their current winning streak, doing it all with multiple key players banged up, including Anthony Davis. James has been especially great, averaging 35 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists since the New Year. He’s gone for over 30 points in all but three games since December 11.
James Made Public Plea After Last Lakers’ Loss
The play of both James and the role players around him has put pressure on the Lakers’ front office to make an impactful move with the two first-round picks they have available.
James made a very public plea after a loss to the Miami Heat on December 28, saying he wants to be playing winning basketball at this point of his career.
“I’m a winner and I want to win,” James told reporters after the game. “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.
“I don’t wanna finish my career playing at this level from a team aspect. I still want to compete for championships. I know what I can bring to any ball club with the right pieces.”
The Lakers have won every game since that statement and admitted it lit a bit of a fire under them.
“[Everybody was saying] LeBron’s doing this, LeBron’s doing that. He’s stating facts. No one wants to be comfortable with losing,” coach Darvin Ham said. “It’s almost like ringing an alarm, like everybody wake up.”
Lakers Trending in Right Direction After Rough Start
The season has been anything but smooth sailing for the Lakers but appear to have found their footing. James is carrying a large part of the load but role players like Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schroder have been enormous during the turnaround. Even Russell Westbrook — who looked as good as gone at the start of the season — has emerged as a big part of the equation.
“Trending in the right direction and learning from our mistakes,” Ham said after beating the Kings. “At the end of the day, everything we have gone through I think has been a huge education for us. We are trending in the right direction currently.”
The Lakers are currently the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference but are just a game out from a playoff spot.
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