Hernández: How committed is LeBron James to the Lakers after Luka Doncic trade?

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Lakers stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic laugh on the bench during the win over the Clippers on Tuesday night at Intuit Dome. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

As it was, the Lakers were reluctant to sacrifice their future for the sake of building the best possible team around a 40-year-old version of LeBron James.

Now, with the Lakers trading for the Next LeBron, was the Old LeBron concerned they could further prioritize the future over the present?

“What’s wrong with that?” James replied.

Before I could remind him of his public campaigns to directly or indirectly shame Lakers management into improving the roster in the weeks leading up to every recent trade deadline, he continued, “If I had concerns, I would’ve waived my no-trade clause and got up out of here.”

Read more: Lakers rout the Clippers, win their first game after emotional Anthony Davis trade

The declaration wasn’t entirely convincing, not because of what he said but because of how he said it.

His body language certainly didn’t project enthusiasm at the prospect of remaining with the Lakers for the remainder of his career, as his voice was monotone and his lips were pursed.

I asked James if he still envisioned retiring with the Lakers. Just five weeks ago, he said that was “the plan,” but he could become a free agent this summer by declining a player option for the 2025-26 season.

“I mean, listen, I’m here right now,” James said. “I’m here right now. I’m committed to the Lakers organization.”

More specifically, he said he was committed to helping integrate the team’s three newly-acquired players.

“As a leader of the team, as one of the captains of the team, it’s my job to make it as seamless as possible,” James said.

So he didn’t waive the no-trade provision in his contract — for now. He’s here — for now. He didn’t say he didn’t want to retire with the Lakers, but he didn’t say he wanted to either.

Maybe James didn’t want to look or sound overly delighted with his team’s overnight transformation out of respect to his handpicked sidekick and close friend Anthony Davis, who was unceremoniously…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/hern-ndez-committed-lebron-james-150303546.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2025-02-05 15:03:00

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