The LeBron James-Los Angeles Lakers saga has added another chapter. This time, it involves the $10 billion sale of the franchise to Mark Walter.
Is it a case of misjudgment? Or betrayal? Stay tuned to make your own decisions.
When the Lakers made their sale, the front office decided to inform their newly acquired star, Luka Doncic. This is a great sign of respect. Players always appreciate being kept in the loop.
The problem is that no one informed LeBron James, who has been in LA longer and brought the franchise a championship.
This has been reported by ESPN.
“Since the Doncic trade on February 1, the Lakers have signaled this shift from James to Doncic through a series of microaggressions. When the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter on June 18, Doncic was given a heads-up.
“[Doncic] notably posted a congratulations on social media afterward. James was not given the same notice and did not post any public acknowledgement afterward.”
The ESPN report went on to discuss how the franchise pulled a similar stunt towards LeBron when they traded Anthony Davis.
“They did not give him significant notice that they were trading Davis for Doncic. This transgression James forgave, sources said. Because of his respect for Doncic and understanding of the franchise’s reasoning for making the trade and for keeping it under wraps for as long as possible.”
This does appear to be a sign of disrespect to LeBron. Especially after everything that he has done for the franchise. It also shows true signs that the Lakers are ready to move on from the four-time NBA champion in favor of Doncic.
It is looking more and more likely that LeBron will be traded from the Lakers sometime this year. Until that happens, we’ll all have to keep guessing on what the Lakers’ relationship truly is with LeBron James.
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