{"id":17956,"date":"2023-01-10T15:32:15","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T15:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/?p=17956"},"modified":"2023-01-10T15:32:15","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T15:32:15","slug":"nba-trade-deadline-looms-large-for-lebron-james-and-the-lakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/nba-trade-deadline-looms-large-for-lebron-james-and-the-lakers\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA trade deadline looms large for LeBron James and the Lakers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div wp_automatic_readability=\"141.75510204082\">\n<p>Break up the Lakers.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2026 <em>Lakers<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers, the team Rob Pelinka misassembled (I\u2019ve written some version of that), LeBron James couldn\u2019t carry (ditto) and Anthony Davis couldn\u2019t stay healthy enough to support (well \u2026 ). The team that reacted to last season\u2019s 33-win disaster by ousting the person (Frank Vogel) least responsible for it.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s right \u2026 the Lakers.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers\u2014the Davis-less Lakers\u2014have won five in a row after Saturday\u2019s win in Sacramento. It wasn\u2019t easy. They had to battle De\u2019Aaron Fox, the Kings\u2019 would-be (should-be?) All-Star who shredded them for 34 points. They had to contend with Domantas Sabonis, the broken-thumbed big man who chipped in 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. They had to survive what looked like (the NBA says otherwise) an egregiously bad blown call by the referees in the closing seconds of regulation, a whistle that turned a potential three-point play by Russell Westbrook into one free throw and opened the door for Fox to send the game to overtime.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\"\/>\n<p>They did it with Westbrook, who sports betting sites <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/2022\/12\/13\/russell-westbrook-los-angeles-lakers-sixth-man\">have remarkably installed as the <em>favorite<\/em> to win Sixth Man. With Thomas Bryant, one of the best value contracts in the NBA. With Dennis Schr\u00f6der, who is on the kind of scoring binge that makes you remember why the Lakers once considered committing $84 million to him.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-1\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-1\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-1\"\/>\n<p>And they did it with LeBron James.<\/p>\n<p>James scored 37 points against Sacramento. The night before, against Atlanta, he scored 25. A few nights before that it was 43. A few nights before <em>that, <\/em>on his birthday\u2014James\u2019s 38th\u2014he scored 47. In December he had more 30-plus point games (eight) than fewer (six).<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-2\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-2\"\/>\n<p>Wow.<\/p>\n<p>In the age of the ageless athlete, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/2022\/12\/19\/lebron-james-los-angeles-lakers-waste-management-daily-cover\">James is doing things we\u2019ll <em>never<\/em> see again. Sure, Michael Jordan was dropping 40-point games in his age-40 season, but those two Wizards years were more itch-scratching for Jordan, whose Washington teams never cracked 37 wins. No one thought MJ, in between knee drains, was capable of leading a team to the Finals. James very much looks like he can.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-2\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-3\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-3\"\/>\n<p>The numbers are astonishing. James is averaging eight rebounds. He\u2019s handing out seven assists. He\u2019s shooting 51% from the floor. StatMuse recently tweeted out a list of scoring numbers for players in their 20th seasons. Vince Carter averaged 5.4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who James is closing in on for the NBA scoring record, put up 10.1. Kobe Bryant? 17.6. James is averaging 29.1.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-4\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-4\"\/>\n<p>Everyone is impressed. \u201cPhenomenal,\u201d was how Lakers coach Darvin Ham framed James\u2019s recent run. \u201cMasterful,\u201d tweeted Kevin Durant. Paul Pierce, a longtime James rival, called James the GOAT. On the Lakers postgame show, James Worthy described James as an \u201cold uncle,\u201d saying, \u201cyou know you\u2019re younger than he is, quicker than he is, but you just can\u2019t beat him.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-c\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-3\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-3\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-5\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-5\"\/>\n<p>Now \u2026 will the Lakers help him?<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body-item m-detail--body-item-inline\">\n<figure class=\"l-inline tml-image m-detail--tml-image--inline\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" wp_automatic_readability=\"2\"><phoenix-picture><a><picture class=\"is-waiting-to-load\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.webp 380w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.webp 620w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1240\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.webp 1240w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.webp 700w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.webp 1400w\"><source sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.jpg 380w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1240\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.jpg 1240w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400\/MTk1MDQyMzcyMjE0NTk2ODA3\/lebron-james-lakers-frustrated.jpg 1400w\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/phoenix-picture><!-- disableImageMeta is needed to prevent duplicate rendering of the image meta.--><!-- Duplicate rendering can occur because we have moved the image metadata outside of--><!-- the .m-detail-header--container. The original image metadata in tmlImage is needed--><!-- for the InContent detail header which renders when the media size is inline or breakout.--><figcaption wp_automatic_readability=\"4\">\n<p class=\"tml-image--caption\" itemprop=\"caption\">LeBron James has made it clear the Lakers need to make moves ahead of the trade deadline.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"tml-image--attribution\" itemprop=\"author\"><span>Cary Edmondson\/USA TODAY Sports<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The will-they-or-won\u2019t-they make a trade has been a season-long narrative in Los Angeles. We all know the story. The Lakers have two first-round picks they can offer, in 2027 and \u201929. They have Westbrook\u2019s expiring $47 million contract. They have a couple of live-ish bodies in Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn. That\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-4\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-6\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-6\"\/>\n<p>LeBron wants them to use it. All of it. Stuff every asset\u2014particularly the draft picks\u2014in a UPS envelope and see what you can get for it. There\u2019s no sourcing here. It\u2019s <em>him<\/em>, at least indirectly. He not-so-subtly called for more shooting in October when he said the Lakers \u201caren\u2019t sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team.\u201d Last month he went out of his way to answer a question about how long he wants to play with \u201cI don\u2019t want to finish my career playing at this level from a team aspect.\u201d When pressed by <em>The Athletic<\/em> on Saturday about L.A.\u2019s approach to the trade deadline, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nba\/news\/lebron-james-questions-lakers-for-reluctance-to-make-trade-yall-know-what-the-f-should-be-happening\/\" rel=\"noopener\" onclick=\"return phoenixTrackClickEvent(this, event);\" target=\"_blank\">James reportedly said, \u201cY\u2019all know what the f&#8212; should be happening.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-5\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-7\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-7\"\/>\n<p>Think that found its way onto Jeanie Buss\u2019s timeline?<\/p>\n<p>Make no mistake\u2014this isn\u2019t an easy call. The end result of this five-game winning streak has the Lakers sitting half a game back of the final play-in spot. Davis appears to be moving closer to a return, but any time \u201cstress injury\u201d and \u201cfoot\u201d are in the same sentence you have to be worried. In a sellers market where no superstar appears available, the Lakers could be forced to overpay for players who make them only mildly better. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-c\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-6\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-6\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-8\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-8\"\/>\n<p>But LeBron wants it. In a reply to <em>The Athletic <\/em>story James tweeted, \u201cmy patience isn\u2019t waning\u201d and \u201cmy job is the locker room.\u201d Fine. But James isn\u2019t interested in the Lakers\u2019 long-term future, when he\u2019ll be running an entertainment company or owning an NBA team in Las Vegas. That\u2019s an L.A. problem. Not his. Come to think of it, is Pelinka? What\u2019s Pelinka more likely to be doing in 2027 if he <em>doesn\u2019t <\/em>trade the picks, running the Lakers or negotiating contracts with them?<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-c\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-7\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-7\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-9\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-9\"\/>\n<p>This feels like an ownership decision. Again: Buss and the Lakers can make a perfectly reasonable case that surrendering a first-round pick for Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107 or Christian Wood is foolish and pushing all your chips in for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield (a package that is probably no longer available) doesn\u2019t make sense. The Lakers are going to exist post-LeBron so unless a trade brings back an All-Star (Bradley Beal), L.A. has to consider its long-term future.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-c\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-8\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-8\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-10\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-10\"\/>\n<p>LeBron doesn\u2019t. He\u2019s playing at an All-NBA level. Davis, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/2022\/11\/25\/anthony-davis-lakers-season-turnaround\">who was playing at an MVP level before this most recent injury, is nearing a return, and there\u2019s no way a competitor like James is looking at the Western Conference field and thinking Denver, Memphis and New Orleans are unbeatable. It doesn\u2019t matter how the Lakers get into the playoffs. James has to believe that with a healthy Davis and a little help, he can beat any team once they get there.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-9\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-11\"\/>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-b not-size-c not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-11\"\/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/2022\/12\/29\/lebron-james-lakers-frustration-future\">James has been clear about what he wants.<\/p>\n<p>The Lakers have a month to decide whether they want to give it to him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/template\" id=\"facebookPixel1103097776498609\">!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()\n{n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}\n;if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\nn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\ndocument,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n(function(){\n    fbq('init', '1103097776498609');\n    fbq('track', 'PageView');\n    var contentId = 'ci02b4ed62800024c7';\n    if (contentId !== '') {\n        fbq('track', 'ViewContent', {content_ids: [contentId], content_type: 'product'});\n    }\n})();<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Break up the Lakers. The \u2026 Lakers? The Lakers, the team Rob Pelinka misassembled (I\u2019ve written some version of that), LeBron James couldn\u2019t carry (ditto) and Anthony Davis couldn\u2019t stay healthy enough to support (well \u2026 ). The team that reacted to last season\u2019s 33-win disaster by ousting the person (Frank Vogel) least responsible for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[174],"tags":[621,203,206,3913,202,1411,523],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17956"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17956"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17958,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17956\/revisions\/17958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}