The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled more this NBA season than they had anticipated that they would. They are currently 16-17 heading into their Christmas Day matchup with the Brooklyn Nets.
When that matchup was announced, many thought that it could be a preview of the NBA Finals come June. While the Nets look capable of holding up their end of the bargain, as they currently sit atop the Eastern Conference, the same cannot be said about the Lakers.
Los Angeles has looked disjointed and will be without Anthony Davis for the next few weeks as he recovers from a knee sprain. With each passing day, the Lakers look less and less like a playoff team, let alone a finals contender.
With how poorly things have gone, there have been some whispers recently about the future of their star player, LeBron James. Some have wondered aloud would James look to leave the Lakers, given their struggles, for a team better suited to contend for a championship.
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No one could have guessed that the Cleveland Cavaliers, James’ old team, would seemingly be in a better position than the Lakers are, but that is the case. Cleveland is thriving and moving up the standings, while Los Angeles remains stagnant and without an identity.
But, during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium shut those rumors down. He personally spoke to Rich Paul, James’ agent, and said that he will be remaining with the Lakers and all of the rumors popping up are false.
“I spoke to LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, and he said that talk [of James leaving] in itself is ridiculous and it’s totally false,” Charania told McAfee. “LeBron James isn’t leaving the Lakers, he’s going to be on the Lakers. The question is: how can the Lakers get better? That’s why I’ve heard they have been active in the trade market.”
Changing jerseys is something that James has done in the past, but it sounds like that isn’t something he is considering right now. He is also used to seeing teammates change often, and that is likely going to happen again in the coming weeks.
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The Lakers will do whatever they can to turn their season around and upgrade the roster to help win more games. Talen Horton-Tucker is the only real trade asset that Los Angeles has unless they are serious about moving on from Russell Westbrook.
Rob Pelinka has to figure something out. While he has battled more injuries in recent seasons, LeBron James has been as dominant as ever when he is able to get on the court. He remains a force to be reckoned with and the Los Angeles Lakers cannot be counted out as long as he is healthy, but he needs some help for the team to reach the levels they know they are capable of.
