"I don't play fantasy basketball": LeBron James sounds off on LA Lakers trade deadline day rumors
LeBron James doesn't care about all the trade rumors surrounding the LA Lakers ahead of the deadline next month. He believes it's disrespectful to get asked about those kinds of topics, as it's not his job to make deals for the team. Nevertheless, the Lakers are one of the teams to watch out for on the Feb. 8 deadline.
In a postgame interview on Wednesday, James was asked if the Lakers need to make a trade following their recent struggles. He did not appreciate the question and maintained that his only focus was on whoever players were on the team.
"I don't play fantasy basketball," James said. "What I do is focus on the guys that's here in uniform and show up to work every day. It's too disrespectful to be thinking about what we need, what we don't have. I don't do that to my teammates."
LeBron James might be upset with the question, but he's happy with the LA Lakers' two-game winning streak. After outlasting the OKC Thunder on Monday, the Lakers blew Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Mavs out of the Crypto.com Arena to get a 127-110 victory.
It's their third time playing against Dallas, but it was the first time they beat the Mavericks this season. James finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Anthony Davis had a near triple-double of 28 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
The Lakers improved to 21-21 after the win over the Mavericks but continue to be linked to several players. Some of the players rumored being monitored by LA include Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine, Tyus Jones and Collin Sexton.
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NBA fans react to LeBron James' comments about LA Lakers trade rumors
One of LeBron James' nicknames on the internet is LeGM, which means he influences front-office decisions.
James has dispelled any talk about it over the years, but fans on social media will never be convinced. Following his comments on Wednesday, some fans called him out on X.
One fan kept receipts and called out James:
"He went on ESPN last year and said he was disappointed they didn't trade Russ for Kyrie."
Another fan doesn't care about James' comments and claimed that the Lakers still need to make a move:
"We still need a trade that will help us with shooting."
One fan defended "The King" and called out the media:
"Stop asking the players and go ask the owner and GM."
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