Getty LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
With the up-and-down nature of the Los Angeles Lakers season, trade rumors have even enveloped LeBron James. But that is being put to bed before it gains much momentum, thanks to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
“I … wouldn’t spend too much energy dreaming up LeBron James trade scenarios,” Stein wrote on January 8. “There is no tangible evidence making the rounds to suggest — irrespective of his ‘We just suck right now’ proclamation after Friday night’s home loss to Memphis — that the 39-year-old has a shred of interest in trying to force a trade before next month’s trade deadline.”
James made the remarks following the Lakers’ 127-113 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on January 5, their fourth straight defeat.
The 106-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on January 7 snapped that skid. But James – who has missed just three games this season – was clear that there was still work for the Lakers to do.
Alllll angles: King poster.
They are still just 4-10 since winning the In-Season Tournament.
“We gotta continue to get better. Try to use this to try to catapult a little bit better play from us,” James said via House of Highlights on YouTube after the game. “It still doesn’t take away from the fact of how we’ve been playing like the last 11, 12 games. Tonight was a good start. Hopefully, we can start from here and continue to build.”
James is in the first year of a two-year, $99 million contract. But he has a $51.4 million player option for next season.
That could have put the Lakers in a position to consider exploring their trade options.
If the season continues to go awry, they could look to ship out James rather than lose him for nothing next offseason. It seems that won’t be an issue, though, if there is little to no chatter that the 19-time All-Star isn’t looking to move on.
At least not now, as Stein explains. And it is the slight bit of uncertainty, that could keep James’ name mentioned in trade rumors until the deadline.
“All available indications … point to the likelihood that James will play out this season as planned in purple and gold and then utilize the flexibility provided by next season’s player option as it was always intended: Which largely means waiting to see what happens in the June draft with son Bronny.”
That is a long way out. And the rumors have already consumed some of James’ teammates.
LeBron James: ‘Great’ to Have D’Angelo Russell Back in Lakers Rotation
D’Angelo Russell missed three games with a tailbone injury. But even before that, he was the subject of trade rumors thanks in part to his waiving his no-trade rights when he re-signed on a two-year, $36 million contract this past offseason.
“It was great to D Lo back. That helped,” James said. “[Jarred Vanderbilt] gave us a huge spark off the bench. [Christian] Wood gave us a huge spark off the bench. And also Max too.”
We got some big-time minutes off the bench and that definitely helped us.
Those remarks are notable on the heels of James’ comments about his son being able to be on the Lakers right now. Retired NBA player-turned-analyst Sam Mitchell took exception to James’ statement from a teammate’s standpoint.
“I’m really disappointed in LeBron for this reason … If I’m a player on the Laker team, and I see LeBron James … sitting back there basically saying we’re terrible right now, what am I gonna think?”
@SamMitchellNBA sounds off on LeBron’s claim that the Lakers “suck right now”
James did not mention any of his teammates by name. But, if there was resentment in the locker room over James’ comments, perhaps his effort to name some of his teammates helped.
‘Safest Bet’ is Lakers Ride Out Season, Hope Gabe Vincent Pans Out
“It’s believed that the Lakers are determined to get through the season before seriously pondering any semblance of drastic changes and still hope offseason signee Gabe Vincent can be a difference-maker when he returns from injury,” Stein wrote. “The safest bet, via one well-placed source, is that the Lakers continue to ‘ride out this storm’.”
Vincent has appeared in just five of the Lakers’ 37 games this season. And he is out for another month following knee surgery.
He signed a three-year, $33 million contract in free agency this past summer.