Throughout the early parts of the current season, rumors swirled that LeBron James was pressuring the Los Angeles Lakers into trading away their future first-round draft picks to improve the team’s roster.
The Lakers eventually swung some trades at the February 9 trade deadline, one of which saw the team’s 2027 first-round draft pick head to the Utah Jazz, but with a top-4 protection on it – a deal that is already paying dividends due to the recent performances of Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley.
According to a Western Conference GM, who spoke with Heavy on Sports Sean Deveney, under the condition of anonymity, LeBron’s willingness to pressure teams into making deals, but refusing to take ownership when things don’t work out, is his one major flaw.
“You’ll never be able to trade Russell Westbrook for Kyrie Irving”
LeGM:
“What LeBron does not want to acknowledge is that one reason the Lakers had to make the moves they made is because he pushed them to get Russell Westbrook and then tried to get Russell Westbrook to be a role player once he was there in L.A,” The GM said,” They were set to make the smaller deal for Buddy (Hield, from the Kings) and they went and put themselves on this roller coaster instead.
LeBron is a likable guy, he has always done things the right way but if there is a complaint about him, it is that he pushes his front offices to make certain moves and when they do, he pretends he had nothing to do with it. It has always created awkwardness because, really, we all know he is involved in pulling these strings but he is all too willing to let others take the fall if things do not work out. Russ was a mistake but he was pushing for them to make another mistake to fix the first mistake, you know?”
This isn’t the first time LeBron has been criticized for his meddling with a team’s roster, we saw it happen during his time with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers too, leading to most fans referring to him as ‘LeGm.’
The LeBron James and Anthony Davis Tandem ‘Is Over.’
According to a March 8 episode of The Colin Cowherd podcast, the tandem of LeBron and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles is nearing its end, with the analyst proclaiming that ‘it’s over.’
“I guess my takeaway is that the LeBron-AD thing is over, but LeBron’s really sensitive to it because he did move off [Dwyane] Wade,” Cowherd said, “I think it’s over. I think LeBron’s smart enough to see the temperature in the room on social media. He’s gonna be there for him [Davis] when he’s mic’d [up]. He’s like, ‘I love you man.’ He makes sure everybody knows, but I’m not going to just say AD’s reaction to the Kareem moment is nothing.”
Davis has rediscovered his early season MVP-level form in recent games and has been integral to the Lakers’ recent performances that have seen them enter the race to qualify for the playoffs without the need for the play-in tournament.
JR Smith Sounds Off on Playing With LeBron James
When it comes to being a teammate with LeBron James, there are very few people that understand the ups and downs quite like JR Smith, who has shared the court with LeBron on both the Lakers and the Heat.
During a recent interview on Game Theory with Bomani Jones, Smith shared his thoughts on what it’s like to partner up with arguably the greatest basketball player to ever grace the parquet.
“He missed a free throw too. Don’t just look at me because I missed a open shot. We all missin’ out here!”
J.R. Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) on the pressure of playing with LeBron James.
“Honestly, it’s a gift and a curse playing with Bron. I love Bron to death, and I love playing on his team because, for me, I feel like I thrive more under the pressure,” Smith said, “But a lot of guys don’t like it because it can go one of two ways. It’s either what did you not do to help him win, and who else did not help him win. It’s like, bro, don’t get me wrong—yes, he had 40-15-9 or 8—but he missed a free throw, too.”
LeBron has been exceptional this season, providing the Lakers with 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game while shooting 50.1% from the field and 30.8% from the perimeter – something the Lakers will hope he can sustain once he returns from injury and looks to help guide his team on a deep playoff run.
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NBA GM Calls Out Lakers’ LeBron James: ‘Let’s Others Take The Fall’