LeBron James Says There's Nothing He's Chasing in the League
With the NBA trade deadline looming, Lakers star LeBron James seems to be content with whatever happens.
During the Lakers' shootaround on Thursday morning at the TD Garden and ahead of their game against the Celtics, James addressed the activity of the trade deadline rumor mill.
"The suspense and the excitement around the trade deadline is always kind of pretty crazy," James told Masslive.com. "Sometimes things happen where guys and players and teams exchange players, and sometimes it don’t happen. But the conversations and the speculation is always there every year."
The Lakers have been at the forefront of trade rumors during their pursuit of Pelicans star Anthony Davis. Los Angeles reportedly discussed a trade package with the Pelicans and offered to include Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the deal. However, talks between the Pelicans and Lakers are "dormant" and there's no expectation that the teams will talk on Thursday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Lakers were looking for a co-star to play next to James, who is seeking his fourth NBA championship. When asked if he's looking for another title because his career might be nearing its end, James dismissed that idea.
"There’s nothing I need to get in this league that I don’t already have. Everything else for me is just like icing on the cake," James said. "I love the process of everything I go through to be able to compete every single night and put teams in position to compete for championships. But there’s nothing I’m chasing or feel like I need to end my career on."
In 2016, James told Sports Illustrated that he was indeed chasing someone – Michael Jordan.
"My motivation," he said, "is this ghost I’m chasing. The ghost played in Chicago."
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Jordan won six NBA championships during his 13 seasons, while James is already in his 16th season. Whether or not the Lakers land Davis or another star to join James, he seems to have changed his mind on his need to keep up with Jordan.
