Jeff Van Gundy delivered quite the spicy take during Saturday’s telecast.
As LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers played the Boston Celtics, the ESPN commentator opined that the Lakers should consider trading James.
Did Jeff Van Gundy just suggest that the Lakers trade Lebron James to the Clippers in the off-season? LMAO @WorldWideWob pic.twitter.com/Q6nOfgkJ4v
— Champ (@ChampChong) March 10, 2019
“They have to rebuild this roster right?” said Van Gundy. “And to me, it could be a trade for an Anthony Davis or I think they need to explore trading LeBron for as much as they can … You gotta get on the right timeline.
“If I could trade him to the Clippers into cap space, which would give me a better chance to get [Kevin] Durant or Kawhi Leonard, would I not do that?” the former head coach continued. “You gotta put everything on the table.”
Van Gundy was quickly shot down by co-commentator Mark Jackson but did draw support on Twitter from prominent basketball figure Bobby Marks.
I agree with Jeff Van Gundy- Everything needs to be on the table for the Lakers this summer including no. 23.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) March 10, 2019
James, who will turn 35 next season, signed a four-year deal with the Lakers over the summer. While he is still averaging a customary 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists a game this year, James just suffered the worst injury of his career, missing over a month with a groin issue.
With the Lakers now very obviously in a lost season, the concerns about James potentially being a depreciating asset will only pick up steam this offseason. That said, both the logic and the optics of trading the four-time MVP would be horrific, especially since he is the single biggest ticket seller in the league on top of his elite talent.
As for Van Gundy, he may have just topped last year’s epic Kardashian rant.
