There is ‘no way’ the Los Angeles Lakers will trade LeBron James before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
That is the frank view of NBA analyst Skip Bayless, who claims ‘King’ James will have input into any moves the Lakers make before the deadline passes.
Talk emerged last week of a potential trade away from Los Angeles, with some analysts proposing potential moves to the New York Knicks or Dallas Mavericks.
However, James’ agent Rich Paul shut down any exit rumors, although the 39-year-old is said to be agitated about their lack of movement in the trade market.
James posted a cryptic tweet of an hourglass emoji on X and many felt the fact he wore a Knicks towel during his post match interview at Madison Square Garden was a tool to pressure the Lakers into a move
LeBron won’t be traded but where do the Lakers make their move?
The likes of Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray has been linked with a trade to the Lakers but any trade would likely come at the expense of their 2029 first round draft pick.
James will long be retired and the Lakers’ other star Anthony Davis will be 36 by then so such a move could prove costly.
And while Bayless believes James will have some input into the Lakers’ next move, he’s not sure they can make any trade move for the better at this stage of the season, despite
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“There is no way they are going to trade LeBron James and there is no way he shouldn’t have some input into whatever moves they make,” Bayless told Undisputed.
“There is no way the Lakers are going to trade LeBron James.”@RealSkipBayless puts the King James traded rumors to bed pic.twitter.com/CsmeP9TEr4
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 6, 2024
“But I don’t see a move that can be made. Do they trade Austin Reeves? I think LeBron is sold enough where they keep Austin Reeves.
“Do they trade D’Angelo Russell? If you look at the numbers since he came back from his bruised tailbone, he is averaging 22 a game on 45% shooting from three. He has been pretty great.
“If they can just get healthy and get Cam Reddish back and Jared Vanderbilt back and maybe Gabe Vincent for a little bit of this season, they are pretty good.
“With LeBron James still playing at the level he is playing at, at the moment, they have a chance. Without LeBron they wouldn’t have a chance.
“Anthony Davis has been playing at a very high level. I like this team as long as they can get healthy and commit to playing a little bit of defense.
“I have seen the best of this team and it is good enough to contend in the Western Conference.”