LeBron James has never personally dealt with trade rumors, but he imagines they’re not easy for a player to deal with.
James’ Los Angeles Lakers got hammered by the Indiana Pacers 136-94 on Tuesday night. The lopsided loss seems to show that the players are not giving max effort because they’re bothered by trade rumors. More than half the team’s players — Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Ivica Zubac, Kyle Kuzma, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley — have all been mentioned in trade talks for Anthony Davis.
James was asked whether he thought the players were bothered by the rumors and gave a mixed response.
"You can't really ask me. I've never really been a part of that, but I've been a part of teammates, but I know it has to be tough on a lot of our guys, especially our young guys. You know, right now they've just never really been a part of it…
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 6, 2019
"and you know they're hearing it every single day and I know that the worst thing that you can do right now is be on social media and I know all young guys love being on social media, so that definitely can't help." via @SpectrumSN #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 6, 2019
This is what makes trade talks so difficult. When word gets out that an organization is willing to trade you, it’s hard for the player to play inspired ball. The talks also undermine LeBron’s ability to lead because the players know he’s willing to push them out the door. This is a bad situation for the Lakers, especially if they don’t end up acquiring Davis.
