LeBron James is playing a dangerous game.
As has become all to familiar, we’re at the point in a LeBron James contract where he starts not-so-passive-aggressively denigrate his team and his front office. It’s the beginning of James’ exit strategy, as witnessed in Cleveland in 2018, Miami in 2014 and Cleveland again in 2010.
The Lakers are struggling mightily at 27-31. If the regular season ended today, the Lakers would find themselves the away team in a play-in game against the cross town rival Clippers. They also have, as per Tankathon, the 3rd worst remaining schedule in the NBA.
Let’s not sugarcoat the Lakers struggles. They’re a hugely disappointing, though probably not under performing – an important demarcation – team. Anthony Davis has missed 21 games and is expected to remain sidelined until mid March after a severe ankle sprain. The Russell Westbrook acquisition has, as many expected, proven to be a disaster. That’s not to say Westbrook himself has been disappointing. Russ is what Russ is and he’s doing a damn good impersonation of Russell Westbrook this season. Unfortunately, if you were designing a player in a lab to be the 3rd star next to LeBron and AD, then practically every part of the Westbrook experience wouldn’t make the prototype.
LeBron, for his part, is still one of the most dominant basketballers alive, even at age 37. He’s putting up a nightly 29.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.6 steals and a block with 51/35/73 shooting splits. He’s still able to go supernova when needed, as the Utah Jazz could tell you.
However, with AD sidelined and somewhat under performing when he does play, Russ unable to shake off his innate Westbrookishness, and the Lakers most talented and suitable support players traded for the rights to watch Russ abuse backboards, this is surely going to be another season of LeBron’s extraordinarily long prime wasted.
So, as is LeBron’s wont, he has started to send out what this writer is sure James believes are subtle signals that he isn’t best pleased and will look to leave the Lakers as soon as his contract runs out at the end of the 2023 season.
It began with a report of a falling out between LeBron’s agency Klutch Sports and the Lakers front office, apparently over the abandoned Westbrook for John Wall trade, which the Lakers walked away from after deciding their 2027 1st round pick was off the table.
That led to LeBron liking LA Rams general manager Les Snead’s ‘Fuck them picks’ t-shirt, referencing Snead’s willingness to trade away future capital for present success, James calling Snead a ‘legend’ and ‘my type of guy’ in a thinly veiled shot at Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
At the All Star weekend in Cleveland, James went out of his way to commend Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti after being asked a question about Thunder rookie Josh Giddey. He also heaped praise upon Cavaliers head honcho Koby Altman, who has put together an exciting young nucleus in Cleveland. It’s interesting to note that LeBron wasn’t nearly as complimentary of Altman’s work whilst he was actually playing for the Cavs. He didn’t exactly rule out a 3rd tour of duty in Ohio, either.
Let’s be clear: whilst Pelinka and the Lakers front office certainly are not blameless (they did cheap out on Alex Caruso, after all) does anybody think that the Lakers traded for Westbrook without first getting the tacit approval of their superstar? LeBron wanted this move. He just doesn’t want the responsibility or the results that have come along with it. This is the nature of LeBron James: Shadow GM. His otherworldly ability on the hardwood almost demands – and if it doesn’t, you can be damn sure James and his agent will outright demand – that you forego all thoughts of balancing the present with the future. It’s championship or bust.
The final message came out when James was asked about playing alongside his son Bronny, telling The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd that ‘my last year will be played with my son’. Aside from instantly pushing young Bronny 10-15 places up every single draft board, that’s as clear an indication as any that LeBron will leave the Lakers.
And so it begins….the leaked reports, the sub-tweeting, the passive aggressive messaging in the media. Phase one of the exit plan has been activated.
It’s worth noting though, that in keeping hold of that 2027 pick, this is the first time in a long time that a front office has not bent to James’ iron will. Despite LeBron’s stellar numbers, as he’s aged he’s proven increasingly unable to drag a roster of also-rans to the upper echelons of the league. That’s not to say LeBron’s Los Angeles tenure has been a failure – he’s won title number four, after all. But he’s also had a 1st round flameout, missed the payoffs altogether in 2019 and is in danger of repeating that this year.
In his aged 37 season, LeBron has and is fighting gamely against father time, but the fall will come. It happens to all of the NBA’s iron men. For Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, that came in his age 39 season, as it was for Robert Parish and Tim Duncan. For John Stockton, Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter, it was their age 38 campaigns. Kevin Willis fell away at 37, Dikembe Mutombo at an alleged 36. It’s a different scenario, but Michael Jordan was a vastly different player when he came out of retirement at age 38.
There will be a point where LeBron’s demands of implied control of the basketball direction of a franchise becomes too much of a bother; we’re surely getting close to that tipping point.
James, for all of his on court brilliance, is a woeful evaluator of talent both young (Shabazz Napier, anyone?) and old and has proven he has no concept of how to build a roster. Whilst on court LeBron can cover for off court LeBron, that’s not so much of an issue. This years on court LeBron is not 2016 on court LeBron.
James has made no secret of his desire to chase and catch the ghost of Michael Jordan and whilst he’s undoubtedly a top three – probably top two – player of all time, he needs another ring (and possibly another MVP) to move into the Jordan conversation. He’s not getting it this season and probably doesn’t in 2023. Can James lead another franchise to a ring in 2024?
That’s where James’ potential return to Cleveland could be interesting. With defensive cover in Evan Mobely, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro, an All Star initiator in Darius Garland and whatever else the suddenly wonderful Altman can cobble together in the meantime, Cleveland might be a quasi contender by the time The King is free to move to a new kingdom and have a roster that could benefit from James’ scoring, playmaking and, frankly, general aura.
That is, of course, if LeBron is able to stop finding ways to fit out, and just fit in.
This article also appears at leading independent media site FOOTYOLOGY.
