With how famous and popular he is, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has the power to grab headlines at the press of a button.
Recently, James fired off a late-night tweet of the hourglass emoji with that most people interpreted as time’s up. The media landscape and internet immediately speculated that James was implying that his time with the Lakers could be coming to an end and it sparked several hypothetical trade scenarios.
The talk got so rampant that James’ agent Rich Paul came out and confirmed that the superstar won’t be traded. However, it still lingers as a “what-if” across the league given the Lakers’ struggles during the 2023-24 season.
Head coach Darvin Ham was asked about James’ tweet and acknowledged that he would do the same if he was in his position, Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
“I mean, it’s already built-in urgency just being a Laker representing this franchise and knowing the type of expectations that we have, the standard that’s been set,” Ham said before the game.
“I don’t expect anything different with him as an individual player and what he’s been able to do in this league. And again, the stage of his career where he’s at,” Ham added, “I’d have put out two or three out saying hourglasses or whatever. I get it, I totally get it. So it’s what we all signed up for.”
At 39 years old, James is running out of time to capture at least one more title and the Lakers front office should be doing everything it can to improve the roster to give him a legitimate chance to do so. Los Angeles has been active around the trade deadline, and is primed to make some sort of deal though no clear options have been presented yet.
Planning for the future of the team is difficult when James is playing at the level he is and he’s shown that the current version of the team is worth investing in. The Lakers are built to win now and although they’re a couple of tiers away from being in the championship contender conversation, James’ presence gives them a chance to win no matter who they play.
With the deadline less than a week away, the pressure is on for Los Angeles to win games and find pieces to add to the team. Hopefully Rob Pelinka and company come through or else it could mean the end of their partnership with James.
LeBron James declines to elaborate on cryptic tweet and future with Lakers
Prior to their win against the New York Knicks, James was asked about his cryptic tweet and he immediately declined to explain it. He also didn’t give any insight into his future plans with the Lakers.
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