Lakers Rumors: Front Office Ignoring LeBron James's Pleas For Roster Improvement?
LeBron James is no stranger to using his postgame press conferences to subtly suggest that his teams are struggling due to personnel issues, the hopes of inspiring his teams' front offices to take action, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register.
Goon notes that this year, it appears that Los Angeles Lakers team vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka does not seem to be heeding James's repeated complaints to the press about his teammates. Last night, despite collecting a win in Orlando, he said his team lacked "a lot of size, a lot of length." Much earlier this season, King James kvetched that the Lakers were "not a team that's constructed of great shooting."
Goon notes that, in the final season of his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James publicly complained on February 3, 2018, about his team's horrible performances in national TV games that season (they were 0-8 at the time) -- and accordingly, Cleveland team president David Griffin flipped key rotation players Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Dwyane Wade, and Channing Frye in exchange for younger additions like combo guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr. (both from the Lakers), shooting guard Rodney Hood and point guard George Hill. That team went on to make its fourth straight NBA Finals in the summer, though it fell to the Golden State Warriors in a clean sweep.
Goon writes that, though in part this current roster may be somewhat the fault of James (who, along with Anthony Davis, may have had an outsize role in advocating for the disastrous trade that brought them Russell Westbrook), it's fascinating that the Lakers are reportedly keeping one eye on their future without James, and seem hesitant to flip their big assets (upcoming draft picks in 2027 and 2029) in deals that could improve the team now. The Lakers extended James in the offseason, presumably with an understanding that they would do what they could to field a competitive club for the 18-time All-Star. Instead, they continue pushing back their supposed timeline for making a trade.
