It’s no secret that this season has not gone as well as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers had hoped as they currently sit at .500 at the 50-game mark.
While there is still time to turn things around, James’ patience seems to be waning. After a recently loss to the Atlanta Hawks, LeBron posted a cryptic tweet of an hourglass emoji, which naturally caused a lot of speculation about what he was referring to.
Considering James missed the Lakers’ most recent game against the Boston Celtics with an injury, he had not spoken to the media since posting the tweet until shootaround on Saturday in New York. While James was asked about it, he decline to elaborate on what he meant, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
“No,” James said when asked if he’d like to clarify his tweet.
James could potentially be in the final year of his contract with the Lakers as he has a player option for around $50 million next season that he could decline and test free agency. LeBron again though was not willing to comment on that possibility:
“No,” James said while addressing the media at the Lakers’ shootaround at Nike’s New York headquarters.
While there has been some improved play as of late for the Lakers, they lost a key player against the Celtics when Jarred Vanderbilt went down with a foot injury that is expected to keep him out for a while.
When discussing how the Lakers can turn things around, James recognized that being without Vanderbilt is a big loss:
“Well, honestly, obviously, we took a big hit with Vando last game,” James said. “Our team has always been constructed around how healthy we can be and how much chemistry we can put on the floor. So, obviously, that’s a big-time hit, big-time blow for us. But guys have to pick it up in his absence.
“If we can play some good basketball, string a couple wins together, and not be so Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on any given night, then we’ll be OK.”
The Lakers have been in similar territory as they are now, just last year when they had a second-half turnaround to get into the postseason and all the way to the Western Conference Finals. They made some significant trades to make that happen though, and reading the tea leaves, James may want the front office to do so again to salvage the season.
Rich Paul confirms Lakers won’t trade LeBron James
Given LeBron James’ cryptic tweet, there was some speculation that he could potentially be looking for a trade before the Feb. 8 deadline. His agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports nipped that in the bud though, going on record and saying that James won’t be dealt.
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