LeBron James, through intermediaries, has made it clear to everyone who will listen that he’s not in charge or telling the Los Angeles Lakers what to do.
And apparently that lack of control might not be enough to get the Lakers to trust him. That lack of trust could be seen with the Lakers unwillingness to give Ty Lue a contract that went beyond LeBron’s. But that may not be the extent of it, according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
During an appearance on the evening SportsCenter, Smith said that he’s been told people close to Jeanie Buss are telling her to trade LeBron.
This would be a drastic turn of events after the Lakers essentially pinned their entire hopes of returning to relevance on getting a superstar to join them in free agency. They were as good as 4th in the Western Conference before LeBron James’ groin injury on Christmas Day, while the remaining Lakers were unable to string wins together before injuries got the best of them.
The Lakers haven’t been to the playoffs in six seasons and still haven’t hired a head coach. The only thing that is clear is that Magic Johnson’s departure has created a power vacuum that has only led to more Lakers dysfunction. And not even LeBron James is safe from its wrath.
