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LeBron James and the core players on the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly want general manager Rob Pelinka to trade the team’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to upgrade the roster, according to a November 10 report from Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
James, who turns 38 in December, doesn’t want to waste an entire season of his high-level play.
“Lacking young, enticing assets and draft capital to strengthen the roster, the Lakers are only armed with two first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, respectively. James, who turns 38 next month and is in Year 20 of his NBA career, does not want to waste a season of his high-level playing days in hopes of incoming reinforcements for the 2023-24 campaign, sources say. Other core players on the roster would likewise prefer those picks to be used to elevate this year’s team,” Haynes reported. “That’s the burdensome decision Pelinka now faces.”
The Lakers are off to a terrible start this season. They are 2-9 and have the worst offensive rating in the league.
James agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million extension in August that includes a player option for the 2024-25 season, showing a level of commitment to the Lakers when he didn’t have to. Pelinka told reporters during media day that he would do everything in his power to make the roster better around James, but he has yet to do that.
Lakers Unlikely to Trade Future Draft Picks
The Lakers are unlikely to trade their future draft picks this season, per Haynes. It’s not “universally believed internally” in Los Angeles that a trade for Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner and shooting guard Buddy Hield would move the needle to title contention.
“With the team’s trajectory trending south, sources indicate the front office is unlikely to attach those picks to a potential trade out of concern that such a transaction would not significantly change the course of the season,” Haynes reported. “It is not universally believed internally that a trade for Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner and sharpshooter Buddy Hield would move the needle to title contention, sources say. If that concern proved to be accurate, the Lakers would be devoid of lucrative resources for the remainder of James’ contract, which runs through 2024-25.”
According to an October 3 report from Sam Amick, Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers seriously considered trading Russell Westbrook and unprotected first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to the Pacers for Turner and Hield before the start of training camp. However, Los Angeles didn’t pull the trigger on the deal.
The Lakers have zero shooters around James and big man Anthony Davis, as they are last in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage. Pelinka had numerous opportunities to acquire shooters this past summer, but he didn’t. The Lakers not only discussed a Hield-Turner trade with the Pacers, but they also could have acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley from the Utah Jazz for Westbrook and draft picks.
LeBron Will Likely Miss the Next 2 Games
James suffered a left groin injury on November 9 against the Los Angeles Clippers and exited the game in the fourth quarter. He will likely miss the Lakers’ next two games, according to Charania.
James is averaging 24.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season while shooting 45.7% from the field, 23.9% from beyond the arc and 66.7% from the free-throw line. The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP has the worst plus-minus on the Lakers.
James can’t be traded until February 18, 2023, which is after this year’s trade deadline. The earliest the King can be traded is in the summer of 2023.
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