LeBron James admits he’s “disappointed” the Lakers didn’t reunite him with his old teammate Kyrie Irving.
via: Bleacher Report
With Irving reportedly on his way to the Dallas Mavericks, James told ESPN’s Michael Wilbon his mindset has shifted back to making the most of what the Lakers have moving forward.
LeBron sat down with @RealMikeWilbon to share his thoughts on the Lakers not being able to trade for his former teammate Kyrie Irving:
“I can’t sit here and say I’m not disappointed on not being able to land such a talent.” pic.twitter.com/2smRTk3Y0c
— ESPN (@espn) February 6, 2023
There wasn’t much mystery as to the four-time MVP’s thoughts after the Lakers’ best offer wasn’t enough to get Irving. He posted a cryptic tweet in keeping with his occasionally passive-aggressive personality:
Maybe It’s Me
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 6, 2023
This is an example of why passive aggression and maintaining a veneer of plausible deniability might be better than outright honesty.
We saw this play out before when the Lakers tried and failed to land Anthony Davis ahead of the 2019 trade deadline.
When the deadline passed and Davis remained with the New Orleans Hornets, Lonzo Ball shared a video celebrating staying put.
LONZO BALL IS ON ONE SDUKFLSDHBFLKSDBFSDK (from his IG story) pic.twitter.com/sngUUqWQAZ
— Silver Screen and Roll (@LakersSBN) February 7, 2019
But it wasn’t as simple as James rallying together with Los Angeles’ young core and making a push for the postseason. The Lakers still finished 37-45 and missed the playoffs.
Brandon Ingram later reflected on The Old Man & The Three in December 2020 it was difficult to deal with all of the drama and that the outside noise “killed” some of his teammates.
BI on his Lakers experience @jj_redick @talter pic.twitter.com/AsA8PbYHDU
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) December 28, 2020
The roster is structured a lot differently now. Los Angeles is leaning on a mix of aging vets and players old enough to have been at the center of trade speculation. Russell Westbrook has been dealt multiple times across his career and served as a lightning rod for criticism from the moment he arrived ahead of last season.
The Lakers are 13th in the Western Conference at 25-29. They’re two games back of the Utah Jazz for the final play-in berth and three games back of the sixth-place Dallas Mavericks.
Absent significant reinforcements, Los Angeles needs everybody rowing in the same direction in the second half to get things back on track. Establishing that sense of collective purpose is almost impossible when the team’s best player is implicitly expressing his desire to ship people out to make upgrades.
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