"LeBron wants it known that he's not happy" - Skip Bayless on why LeBron James won't leave LA Lakers, regardless of hand-picking an underperforming team
NBA and LA Lakers superstar LeBron James has recently come under scrutiny as rumours suggest he may potentially want a trade away from the Lakers. After the Lakers' tough start to the season, despite LeBron James' repeated heroics, the team just haven't been able to get going this campaign.
On Fox Sports' morning show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, pundit Skip Bayless said that LeBron James is trying to subtly let everybody know about his discontent at the Lakers. Bayless said:
"LeBron wants it known that he's not happy, this is not what he signed up for. Although it was his choice to sign all these players, he pretty much hand-picked this team."
Skip Bayless also talked about how the only way LeBron James was going to leave the Lakers is if his son Bronny James was playing in the NBA.. Bayless continued:
"If he's like 40 years old and he wants to go for one last ceremonial hurrah so that he can say he played with my kid a little bit, that's great. Who knows where that could be because it would depend on who drafted Bronny."
"LeBron wants it known that he's not happy, this is not what he signed up for. Although it was his choice to sign all these players, he pretty much hand-picked this team."
@RealSkipBayless reacts to Rich Paul's answer to questions surrounding LeBron trade speculation: https://t.co/bNFhNi8D1k
Will the LA Lakers trade LeBron James?
LeBron James is nearly untouchable for the LA Lakers right now. He is without question their best player and is the only reason this team is still in a playoffs seeding and being considered as a potential title challenger.
The Lakers this season are 5-7 without the service of LeBron James. The likes of Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook have failed to stamp their authority and propel the team to victories in the absence of King James.
With Anthony Davis sidelined, the Lakers may rely on a heavy dose of LeBron James.
The Lakers have outscored their opponents by 27 points when LeBron James is on the court without Anthony Davis this season, which is better than when they have shared the court. https://t.co/jLOHS5Kg2W
Besides, the Lakers made the trade to acquire Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook after LeBron James gave his blessing and wanted to play with those two players. After signing AD, the Lakers made the NBA Finals and won the championship with LeBron James picking up the Finals MVP award.
This season, however, the Lakers have looked extremely disjointed and have struggled to establish team chemistry with injuries and a COVID outbreak.
Even if the Lakers do consider trading LeBron James, they are going to want MVP-caliber players in return. There is nobody in the NBA who can possibly afford that barring a couple of the franchises if those teams were willing to trade players like Kevin Durant or Steph Curry.
Either way, the best bet for the Lakers right now and for the foreseeable future is to shoulder their hopes on LeBron James and surround him with the best players possible. If the King can then stay fit, then there is no reason why the Lakers can't challenge for a deep playoff run.