Should LeBron James want out of Los Angeles?

[DJ]

Self explanatory headline.

 

[trojanfan12]

The better question might be...Should the Lakers want Lebron James out of Los Angeles?

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[bksballer89]

The better question might be...Should the Lakers want Lebron James out of Los Angeles?

​

No

 

[trojanfan12]

No

Lebron the player? I agree.

Lebron the GM? He can gtfo.

 

[bksballer89]

Lebron the player? I agree.

Lebron the GM? He can gtfo.

Problem is outside of russ, i think the rest of those bad signings last summer was on Rob.

 

[Shanemansj13]

The better question might be...Should the Lakers want Lebron James out of Los Angeles?

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I think you could say it for both sides honestly. The Lakers knew going into this Lebron's track record and they saw it early giving up all their young players for AD. That was a great move and it led to a championship but it didn't mean they had to keep going down their path. Of course AD's injuries kind of derailed the long-term plans- no control over that. They didn't have to make the RW move, pressure from James or not, if they make another smarter move and keep Caruso then Lebron would be happier than he currently is and they likely have a better squad.

At this point, not one player is safe on this roster imo. AD's trade value is signifcantly lower than it has been the last couple years but they could still salvage some nice pieces for him. They could also get a decent package for Lebron but is it worth it? He is still a top 5-7 player in this league but there are very few teams that could trade for him and we all know Lebron will control where he wants to go so that also decreases the available teams. Also, who will give up significant assets for a 37 year old and still compete? Very few if none could do that and that's what Lebron wants. I don't think they move Lebron this summer, I think they have to move RW at all costs and maybe even AD. I don't think one of those happens though. I think they are stuck in purgatory at the time- any move (besides a Russ trade) they make will be forced and they will get less value for their asset but has it come to the point where they say fuck it. We got our one-lets move on. That doesn't seem like the Laker way but this summer their could be a major shift in this organization and not just the players--everyone.

 

[Shanemansj13]

1. What team can trade for Lebron this offseason and still be in contention to make the playoffs?

2. What team can sign Lebron in 2023 and compete for the playoffs?

#2 is obviously a longer list but I think the answer to #1 is like 2 teams at best. The Cavs would be one team but I haven't looked at the numbers. Lebron will have to approve the trade and then the Lakers would have to acquire enough assets to say, "is this even worth it". I don't see it.

 

[trojanfan12]

Problem is outside of russ, i think the rest of those bad signings last summer was on Rob.

Not really. After the Westbrook trade, he had to get what he could on minimal contracts, so he had to sign some older guys trying to get a ring and hope they could squeeze 1 last productive season out of them. At least Monk, Reaves and Johnson have worked out. You know Lebron was recruiting a lot of the older guys.

 

[trojanfan12]

1. What team can trade for Lebron this offseason and still be in contention to make the playoffs?

That's the problem with trading Lebron. Especially with him still playing at such a high level. If he goes to a playoff caliber team, it's going to cost them much of what makes them a playoff caliber team.

2. What team can sign Lebron in 2023 and compete for the playoffs?

Depends on what he's looking to sign for. It sounds like he expects max deals until his son gets to the league. If that's the case, not many. The Lakers would be able to sign him because they'd have Bird rights, Westbrooks $48 million plus some smaller deals coming off the books. So they should be able to put together a good team. Outside of that, depends on cap space a team can create.

 

[trojanfan12]

They didn't have to make the RW move, pressure from James or not, if they make another smarter move and keep Caruso then Lebron would be happier than he currently is and they likely have a better squad.

Gonna have to disagree with you here.

Sure, they didn't HAVE to do it...but when your 2 star players come to you and say ''We want this guy'', what GM is telling them no? Pelinka was just about to complete a trade for Hield when they came to him and said they could make it work.

 

[fightinfunbags]

Send LeBron to Washington in a three-team deal that sends Beal to Philly and Tobias Harris to the Lakers.

 

[Heatles84]

Gonna have to disagree with you here.

Sure, they didn't HAVE to do it...but when your 2 star players come to you and say ''We want this guy'', what GM is telling them no? Pelinka was just about to complete a trade for Hield when they came to him and said they could make it work.

This, it was a catch 22 for Pelinka and the Lakers. And in hindsight, Pelinka was right to accomodate AD and Lebron.

1. If Pelinka doesn't make the trade, AD is still often injured, and there's potential that the Lakers are in the position that they're in currently. At this point, Lebron is frustrated with Pelinka and the Lakers and could argue that Westbrook would've helped with the workload while AD is out.

2. Pelinka did the deal, and it's now clear that Lebron, the GM is at fault here. This is his mess, he wanted this.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Gonna have to disagree with you here.

Sure, they didn't HAVE to do it...but when your 2 star players come to you and say ''We want this guy'', what GM is telling them no? Pelinka was just about to complete a trade for Hield when they came to him and said they could make it work.

Fair enough but I feel like some LA fans are making this a Lebron thing. It's both the FO and James that played a part in this. If you are confident in your skills as a GM you stick to your guns and make the move you believe is right...trust harder said than done, Pelinka was put in a corner but he played a huge part in this whole thing.

 

[trojanfan12]

Fair enough but I feel like some LA fans are making this a Lebron thing.

That's because it is a Lebron thing. Lebron wanted Westbrook, Pelinka didn't.

It's both the FO and James that played a part in this. If you are confident in your skills as a GM you stick to your guns and make the move you believe is right...trust harder said than done, Pelinka was put in a corner but he played a huge part in this whole thing.

Again, what GM is telling Lebron and AD no in that situation?

I get that for some reason you want to put the blame on Pekinka, but Westbrook wasn't Pelinka's idea, nor was it the trade he had in place. From everything that has been reported, the Hield trade was in the final stages when Lebron and AD aproached the Lakers saying they wanted Westbrook.

As @Heatles said...if they do the Hield trade and still end up in the same situation, then you have a frustrated Lebron saying that Westbrook could have kept their heads above water and Pelinka's job is now possibly in jeopardy.

By giving Lebron and AD what they wanted, the Lakers can now say (and have), this is your mess, you make it work. Lebron's issue with it is that he painted himself into a corner this time and is being forced to deal with it.

 

[shopson67]

Problem is outside of russ, i think the rest of those bad signings last summer was on Rob.

Who are the other bad signings? We're talking league minimum guys, beggars can't be choosers. Melo, Monk have been great. Johnson has been a decent find. They probably should've waited before signing Bazemore, who really faded after looking great in preseason. Jordan certainly wasn't a necessary signing. Tough to foresee the lingering injury issues with Nunn, wish we could flip-flop his contract with Monk's. Still have some hope for Nunn moving forward, at least as a reliable 2nd PG. Still need to find the #1 PG, unfortunately.

 

[Shanemansj13]

That's because it is a Lebron thing. Lebron wanted Westbrook, Pelinka didn't.



Again, what GM is telling Lebron and AD no in that situation?

I get that for some reason you want to put the blame on Pekinka, but Westbrook wasn't Pelinka's idea, nor was it the trade he had in place. From everything that has been reported, the Hield trade was in the final stages when Lebron and AD aproached the Lakers saying they wanted Westbrook.

As @Heatles said...if they do the Hield trade and still end up in the same situation, then you have a frustrated Lebron saying that Westbrook could have kept their heads above water and Pelinka's job is now possibly in jeopardy.

By giving Lebron and AD what they wanted, the Lakers can now say (and have), this is your mess, you make it work. Lebron's issue with it is that he painted himself into a corner this time and is being forced to deal with it.

I wont agree with that until I hear that from a reliable source and there could be that I am not aware of. That’s just it- I don’t care if Lebron vouched for him, it’s your job as thr GM to do your job to the best of your ability and he MADE the trade. Lebron didn’t make the call and work out the details. So I am absolutely still right- both deserve blame. Same thing for any team. Griffin took heat for moves vouched for but he deserved it. You want to blame thr Lakers situation all on Lebron, fine, but in reality that isn’t true. There is a big difference between sharing the blame and no blame like you suggest

 

[shopson67]

I get that for some reason you want to put the blame on Pekinka, but Westbrook wasn't Pelinka's idea, nor was it the trade he had in place. From everything that has been reported, the Hield trade was in the final stages when Lebron and AD aproached the Lakers saying they wanted Westbrook.

That Hield trade was all but done. Kuzma thought he was headed to Sacramento.

 

[shopson67]

I wont agree with that until I hear that from a reliable source and there could be that I am not aware of. That’s just it- I don’t care if Lebron vouched for him, it’s your job as thr GM to do your job to the best of your ability and he MADE the trade. Lebron didn’t make the call and work out the details. So I am absolutely still right- both deserve blame. Same thing for any team. Griffin took heat for moves vouched for but he deserved it. You want to blame thr Lakers situation all on Lebron, fine, but in reality that isn’t true. There is a big difference between sharing the blame and no blame like you suggest

Pelinka needed to put on his big boy pants and instead peed them.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Btw I am not specifically talking about RW. It’s everything

 

[shopson67]

Btw I am not specifically talking about RW. It’s everything

But for this offseason, that pretty much was everything. After that, all they had was the MLE, vet mins, and the ability to re-sign their own guys. Signing Monk and Melo and undrafted FA Reaves were high points. I can give a pass for Nunn given the injury. The rest? Meh at best, and letting Caruso walk really hurts from a fan favorite perspective. If they kept him, Reaves is more of an afterthought, but it still stings.