In the cutthroat world of the Lakers, transfer rumors are never far away. Those surrounding Russell Westbrook have been less pushy in recent weeks with Brodie’s strong showing off the bench, but Anthony Davis’ recent injury has revived speculation about whether or not a deal can be sealed. What does LeBron James think? A reporter asked him the question, he got no answer.
What all Lakers fans feared sadly ended up happening.
On another planet in the last few weeks, during which he chained MVP performances to try to get the Lakers back on track, Anthony Davis was injured again. This time on foot. Consequently, he will be absent for at least a month. Which raises the following question:
How to deal with the sequel?
While we were already wondering if (and especially when) the Lakers would make a transfer to try to better surround the LeBron – AD duo, this prolonged absence of the monobrow causes a big hole in the racket and has the potential to change plans … what general manager Rob Pelinka might have six weeks before the trade deadline. So inevitably, on the Los Angeles side, reporters are trying to learn more about the franchise’s internal strategy.
After Sunday’s game against Washington, one of them asked LeBron James how Davis’ injury will affect the Lakers’ potential transfer decisions. Here’s his answer The Athletic.
“It’s not a question for me. I do not know. […] I play basketball, I’m not in the front office, so we’ll see. I’m focused on playing to try and win matches, especially when I’m on the pitch.
Ask Rob Pelinka your questions.
Some will probably laugh upon reading this quote, it being known that LeBron James has a direct impact on the decisions of his management, so much so that he has gotten the nickname LeGM over the years. That said, Rob Pelinka continues to be patient today — even reluctant to roll over his first-round draft picks (2027, 2029) — while the King likely would like a short-term booster to boost his chances of winning.
Looking forward to seeing the direction the front office of the legendary Californian franchise takes in the coming weeks, we will closely monitor the behavior of the Lakers without ADbecause this too could have an impact on Pelinka’s decisions in the near future.
Los Angeles managed to snag a win against the Davis-less Wizards on Sunday, before falling to Phoenix in a matchup featuring no CEO, LeBron, or Russell Westbrook. The Lakers now have a record of 13 wins for 17 losses in the first 30 games of the regular season, a record synonymous with 12th place in the West, before playing six of the next seven games on the road.
If Los Angeles truly collapses without Anthony Davis, it’s hard to imagine Rob Pelinka sacrificing his draft picks to try and salvage this 2022-23 season. Otherwise, however, everything seems possible in La La Land…
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Text source: The Athletic
