LeBron James‘ comments during All-Star Weekend sent a strong message to the Lakers that they need to improve quickly, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. James, who is under contract for just one more season, hinted at a possible return to Cleveland and said he wants to play the final season of his career for whichever team drafts his son, Bronny. He also heaped praise on Thunder general manager Sam Presti for his ability to identify talent, leaving an unspoken contrast with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, who James and Klutch Sports are reportedly upset with for standing pat at the trade deadline.
Woike states that all the young All-Stars on display in Sunday’s game were a reminder that many teams have surpassed the Lakers when it comes to the level of talent on their rosters. He suggests that unless Pelinka can strike gold with more minimum-salary signings this summer, like he did with Malik Monk, James won’t show much patience when he hits free agency.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Rich Paul, who runs Klutch Sports, told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on Monday that he never urged Pelinka to trade Russell Westbrook and a future first-round pick to the Rockets for John Wall (hat tip to Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll). Wall, a Klutch client who hasn’t played this season under a mutual agreement with Houston’s management, has a $44.3MM contract that matches up with Westbrook’s salary. According to Smith, Paul called the report a “damn lie” and said, “There is no truth. It never happened.”
- L.A. probably won’t find a much better market for a Westbrook deal this summer, per Marc Stein of Substack. Westbrook will have a $47MM expiring contract once he exercises his option for next season, and Stein doesn’t expect the offers to be better than Wall’s expiring deal or a collection of bad contracts from the Knicks.
- There’s no willingness among the leaders of the Lakers’ organization to accept responsibility for the decisions that led to this year’s downfall, observes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Front office members have taken turns denying their role in the decision to trade for Westbrook, Goon adds, and James has deflected his own involvement in the move.
don’t get lebron praising presti. he’s like, look how sam has drafted, when lebron wants to trade every pick. lakers had good young picks when he arrived, then shipped everyone out.
He shipped out Ball, Ingram, Kuzma, KCP, and you can even argue Caruso as well. Yikes. Imagine what that team would be now. LeBron and his fanboys are spoiled, impatient BRATS.
other rotational players. hart, zubac.
LeBron has a good reason to upset
This is not the team that would win championships next two years
Trade
Trade
Trade
Westbrook opt out and sign a two year $70 million contract with other team? No
He can opt out and resign 2 years 70 million contract with Lakers
Lakers fans, this could save Lakers $30 million luxury tax next season
Don’t forget Adams and Justin…they are sorely missed in the backcourt
He didn’t ship out Caruso. Jeannie did that. She must need a new house or something.
He shipped out a bunch of under performing players to bring in AD and win a chip. Is that not the point? Who knows how well those pieces traded would ever have gelled and come anywhere near a championship?
The Lakers made a plethora of win-now moves. Looking at OKC’s terrible roster and record and being like, “Wow Sam Presti’s pure genius for getting Josh Giddey” is maybe the most moronic take-away from the LeBron era of LAL.
Dort
Giddey
SGA
Presti robbed the Rockets for Westbrook and robbed the Clippers for George.
More importantly he hasn’t messed up payroll long term.
Presti’s best move(s) has been to turn Serge Ibaka into Shai, Tre Mann and 1st round picks in ’22, ’23, ’24, ’26
Point wasn’t to critique OKC as much as the comparison really doesn’t apply. LAL is at the literal other end of the spectrum from OKC.
Having said that, I can’t say I’m overly impressed with OKC’s rebuild to date. Dort is a role player—Giddey is definitely one to keep an eye on. SGA is a nice piece but not sure he’s a franchise guy. Other than that there’s not a lot to really hang your hat on here other than a treasure trove of picks that haven’t been picked yet.
But it’s hard to critique a strategy when the primary quality of said strategy is to build for the distant future.
Rich Paul is a scumbag
Anthony Davis won them a ring with that trade. So so far it’s worked out well.
A bubble ring that no one takes seriously.
Why wouldn’t anyone take it seriously? If anything I’d take it more seriously, no home court advantage, no travel and everyone well rested to start.
All players had to isolate from their family and friends and change their normal routines. I’m what you’d call polar opposite of a Laker fanboy but they earned that championship.
I agree, Tacocat. A lot of analysts and former players said they felt it was, if anything, a tougher playoff road to a championship than a typical year. To say that no one takes it seriously is beyond ignorant…it’s a flat-out stupid comment.
Cracks me up! LeBron wanted Westbrook. Team gets Westbrook. Why is LeBron unhappy? he basically hand-picked the superstars around him. Is he mad at the GM for giving him too much power? ughh.
How can you judge Pelinka’s ability to draft if he never has picks? Really dumb criticism.
2 for 2 with THT and Reeves lol. Joking, but still, they’re nice selections.
Watching wall the shell of his former self last year, his explosiveness gone,lateral movement non existent,lift a thing of the past, I imagine he would be a perfect fit with the dinosaur fakers,especially with a stagnant year off.
The Lakers swung for fences and have so far whiffed with Westbrook. That’s what they do. Most of the time it works out for them but this time it didn’t. That’s all it is.
They’ll wait a few years and do it all again. They’ll find some other superstars that want the bright lights and big city and sign them as well.
This is the question LeBron needs to ask Lakers GM.
Warriors won the West 5 of the past 7 years. They have better young players and more future draft picks.
Why are the Lakers young players and draft picks?
So if Brawny gets drafted by some 19-63 team in a small market, LeBron will play for them? Ha! I sincerely doubt it.
Rich Paul tells Stephen A. Smith that Russell Westbrook report is ‘a damn lie’
Again ……. Not everyone cares about the truth. Still don’t like Bron the GM or his agent. Nobody runs my team (if I owned one)
Lakers FO has hung LJ out to dry.
Of course LJ should move on; he got played. Nobody put a gun to Pelinka’s head… Who else could be responsible?— find a black man to take the fall.
The likes of cresstheory will take the hint and volunteer to point their fingers in the proscribed direction. No proof needed, no serious writer supporting it. Brat indeed.
Elephant in the room is AD regressed to playing out of position most possessions, and being expected to carry bigger load returning from injury, he’s logging big minutes right away, boom: Next Injury. Vogel and staff are the weak link. Westbrook should be running a second unit that is fast and athletic, all 24 minutes Second Half (no first half minutes, but all 24 of second that Westbrook runs in full, Bron takes First Half). Lactic acid build up in older dudes is real. Westbrook used terribly, wasted minutes if you aren’t running the break every other possession. Bron + Westbrook great in closing minutes if they haven’t already logged 30+ minutes.
24 minutes Triple Doubles Second Half Closer Westbrook, and Vogel still tinkering with “who’s the hot hand tonight?!” nonsense giving up big leads early the older Lakers empty tank to come back most games are epic struggles, not clean coaching. Pelinka did what was asked by Bron, fans, fellow teammates. Vogel and staff just not mentally present and mentally tough, but who else is available immediately? Worthy? Brent Barry? Ginobili? Duncan? AD needs real mentoring because he can still be great properly load managed and running plays in low and high post that he still wants to drift outside, giving up rebounds and defensive position on the other end. Coaching.
All the bad moves that the Lakers made were moves LeBron wanted them to make, so I don’t understand this one. LeBron is basically the one person in the organization that should NOT be complaining.
LJ is not in charge. How is this hard to understand? Why think otherwise except an,opportunity to hate an arrogant man? LJ used to have some some charge, then Earvin got fired and AD needed to be signed, then a “ship was won justifying it all. New, post-SpaceJam, post-TWall, post-title, post-youth era. Maybe somebody fogot to tell Pelinka.
The moves clearing space for AD were good ones at the time. Nobody wanted Kuzma, or thought the others were at LJ/AD level unless fans of youth alone.
I am not the one building up LJ, the haters are. Big monster owww. Sorry LA, everything moves on except in the movies.
Nice landscape for the Super Bowl telecast tho.
Now try to sign LJ for $30 mil/yr!
Trade LeBron in the off season.Restock the cupboard and clear salary for 23-24 season after Westbrooks contract is up and give AD some young fellas to go win another championship.