LeBron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

LeBron James: “The Door’s Not Closed” On A Potential Return To Cleveland

February 19th, 2022 at 6:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

With LeBron James back in Cleveland for All-Star Weekend, he offered a hint that he might consider returning for one more stint with his hometown team, writes Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. When asked about playing for the Cavaliers again before he retires, James gave an open-ended response.

“The door’s not closed on that,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t even know when I’m free.”

James has one season remaining on his current deal with the Lakers at $44,474,988. He could be back on the free agent market in the summer of 2023 at age 38.

James emphasized that he hasn’t specifically pondered a return to Cleveland, but he also hasn’t ruled anything out. Lloyd notes that he could be referring to a simple one-day contract so he could retire as a Cavalier, but he could also mean something more.

The Cavs selected James with the first pick in the 2003 draft, and he spent seven years with the team before leaving for Miami as a free agent in 2010. He returned four years later and took the Cavaliers to four straight NBA Finals, capturing the franchise’s only championship in 2016, before departing for Los Angeles.

Although the Lakers won a title in 2020, Cleveland may have a brighter future than L.A. The Cavaliers have rebuilt since James left and are fourth in the East at 35-23 with plenty of youth on the roster. The Lakers, whose roster is stocked with veterans, are ninth in the West at 27-31.

“I think (Cavs general manager Koby Altman) and those guys have done an unbelievable job drafting and making trades,” James said. “I think big fella (Jarrett Allen), that acquisition was amazing for them to make that trade. Obviously Darius Garland is a big-time player. And I think the role that Kevin (Love) is playing right now has kind of uplifted those young guys, seeing a veteran that could sacrifice, a champion that’s won a championship, all the things that he’s done, to come off the bench and play this role. I am not surprised by anything that they’re doing right now.”

As Lloyd points out, it wouldn’t be easy for Cleveland to open enough cap room to sign James without tearing apart its current core. And James made it clear that he wouldn’t be interested in providing a hometown discount so the Cavs could sign him with their mid-level exception.

“I don’t play mid-level basketball,” he said. “I don’t come back for anything below the top.”

James also revealed today that he plans to play his final NBA season for whichever team winds up with his son, Bronny. Currently a junior in high school, the earliest that Bronny could be draft-eligible is 2024.

“My last year will be played with my son,” James said. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Westbrook, AD, Vogel, Reaves

February 13th, 2022 at 3:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James has to live with the consequences of the disastrous Russell Westbrook trade he pushed his team’s front office to make, opines Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Goodwill writes that, whether James cooked up the Westbrook deal or merely advocated for it, his interest in the idea ultimately compelled Los Angeles team president Rob Pelinka to pull the trigger, and the team is now struggling to stay afloat, currently the ninth seed in the West.

After the team used many of its remaining assets to acquire Westbrook from the Wizards and opted not to re-sign stellar defensive guard Alex Caruso over the summer, it had its hands tied at the trade deadline this past Thursday, ultimately deciding to stand pat. Beyond the maximum salaries of James, the tough-to-trade Westbrook, and big man Anthony Davis, the Lakers had just two players, Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn, making more than the veteran’s minimum. Horton-Tucker has struggled in an expanded role, while the injured Nunn has yet to play a single game with L.A.

There’s more out of Lakerland:

Lakers star big man Anthony Davis discussed his sense of relief following the trade deadline, now that the team knows its personnel heading towards the end of the season. “[The deadline passing] lifted weight off the [team’s] shoulders,” Davis said, per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). “This is our team, let’s go.”
Following the Lakers’ inactive trade deadline, Los Angeles head coach Frank Vogel also expressed optimism for the home stretch of the 2021/22 season, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s a new day,” Vogel said. “I think there’s just a natural reset energy to our group, knowing that the trade deadline has passed. This is the group that we put together to start the year. This is a group we believe in.” That group has led the Lakers, currently on a three-game losing streak, to a 26-31 record and the ninth seed in the Western Conference.
One of the lone bright spots in this disappointing Lakers season has been the play of rookie shooting guard Austin Reaves, who has emerged as a reliable bench contributor on both ends of the court. Reaves initially signed a two-way contract with the Lakers after going undrafted out of Oklahoma this summer, then saw that deal converted to a standard NBA contract before the start of the season. The 23-year-old has emerged as a clutch role player of late, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times details. “He’s got a great computer to process help and see whether if he’s going to shoot or whether he’s going to make the extra pass and obviously he’s got a lot of guts to make big shots,” Frank Vogel said. “And he really competes on the defensive end and has a good IQ down on that end.” LeBron James also raved about the youngster: “Nothing has impressed me anymore on Austin. He’s made big plays over and over offensively and defensively.” In 21.1 MPG, Reaves is averaging 6.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.3 APG, and has supplanted veterans like Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore in L.A.’s perimeter rotation.

Lakers Rumors: Westbrook, Hield, LeBron, Davis, Pelinka, Jordan

February 11th, 2022 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Last summer, the Lakers appeared to be on the verge of a deal with the Kings for Buddy Hield before pivoting and acquiring Russell Westbrook from Washington. Westbrook’s stint in Los Angeles hasn’t worked out like the Lakers have hoped, which apparently prompted the team to see if it could get a do-over of sorts on that offseason decision.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, sources say that one Westbrook trade idea the Lakers discussed earlier in the season would’ve involved Hield coming to Los Angeles. Obviously, that idea didn’t get off the ground — Westbrook ultimately remained in L.A. through the deadline, while Hield was sent to Indiana in a six-player blockbuster.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

As we relayed on Thursday, Lakers VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said he had conversations with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading up to the trade deadline, suggesting there was “alignment” with the stars on the team’s decision to stand pat. However, a source familiar with James’ and Davis’ thinking who spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin disputed that characterization. “Totally false,” that source told McMenamin (video link; hat tip to RealGM). “There was no conversation between Rob Pelinka, LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Thursday. There was no go-ahead of an OK to have inaction at the deadline.”
In a column on the Lakers’ trade deadline activity, Bill Oram of The Athletic suggests that rival teams may be leery of engaging in discussions with Pelinka due to his decision to pull out of what the Kings viewed as a trade agreement for Hield last summer.
As the Lakers peruse the buyout market in search of a player who could improve their roster, center DeAndre Jordan appears to be the most likely candidate to be waived, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Jordan is out of the team’s regular rotation and isn’t a fit with the Lakers’ “small-ball ethos,” Buha explains.

Lakers Sought Trades With Knicks, Raptors, Celtics

February 10th, 2022 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rival executives tried to take advantage of the Lakers’ predicament, which ultimately led to VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka standing pat at the trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Bill Oram.

Other teams wanted the Lakers to take on bad contracts or give up their limited draft capital, including their 2027 first round pick, to facilitate potential deals, according to Oram.

The Lakers were unable to gain any traction on a potential Russell Westbrook deal. They tried to put together some lower-level deals, including a proposed three-way trade with the Knicks and Raptors. Toronto big men Khem Birch and Chris Boucher and Knicks wing Cam Reddish could have been on the move, but those fell apart after the other two teams couldn’t agree on draft compensation.

The Lakers also mulled a possible reunion with Dennis Schröder, though there was some pushback from some members of the organization. The Lakers still pursued a deal with the Celtics but Boston’s high asking price ended those negotiations. The Celtics wound up trading Schröder to Houston.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis were consulted on potential trades and understood why Pelinka chose to stand pat, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“You can’t force another team to present yourself with a deal that is going to make your team be better. That’s up to them,” Pelinka said. “And throughout this process we had different things we looked at and like I’ve done in the past had conversations with LeBron and Anthony about it and I would say there’s alignment here. And that’s all that matters.”

The Lakers will monitor the buyout market but would have to waive a player since their roster is full.

LeBron Chooses Giannis, Curry In All-Star Draft; Durant Picks Embiid, Morant

February 10th, 2022 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After James Harden was traded away from the Nets on Thursday, former teammate Kevin Durant opted not to pick him in the All-Star draft conducted on Thursday night. Harden was the last player chosen by LeBron James for Team LeBron, as the league announced (via Twitter).

LeBron’s starters, besides himself, are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokic.

Durant, who won’t play in the All-Star Game at Cleveland due to his knee injury, chose Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young and Andrew Wiggins as Team Durant’s starters.

James selected Luka Doncic as his top reserve. His guard-heavy team also features Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet and Harden.

Team Durant’s bench includes Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert.

Thus, numerous teammates will be on opposing clubs for the All-Star game, including the Jazz’s Gobert and Mitchell and the Suns’ Paul and Booker.

The game will be played February 20 in Cleveland.

Frustration Mounting Between Lakers, Russell Westbrook

February 9th, 2022 at 5:37pm CST by Rory Maher

As we discussed earlier today, the Lakers are feeling urgency to make moves to get their season back on track. One major factor in that urgency has been the poor fit of Russell Westbrook, and there’s a growing sense of frustration between the player and team, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Westbrook has been abysmal through four games in February, averaging 10.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 3.5 turnovers on .275/.154/.550 shooting in 31.1 minutes per contest. As Buha details, Westbrook was benched not just for the last few minutes, but for the final 14:34 of the 131-116 loss to Milwaukee Tuesday, showing L.A.’s decaying confidence in the guard.

Head coach Frank Vogel couldn’t pinpoint why Westbrook has struggled so much of late, but said the trio of Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis hasn’t meshed well in the limited games they’ve played together.

“It’s tough to say,” Vogel said. “He wasn’t that bad. The group that was making a run, we just left them in there in the fourth, aside from bringing Bron back. Had a tough night the other night, and a tough night shooting the ball tonight, but I thought he was competing. And the lineups have changed. He’s playing without AD one time on the road, and without AD and Bron, and without Bron, he’s got the ball a lot more, and it’s easier to get in a rhythm. And that’s how he’s played.

“But all those three guys are out there at the same time, it’s different. There’s less touches, and everybody’s out there sharing. So maybe tougher to get into a rhythm, but that’s one of the things we’re working through.”

For his part, Westbrook believes the team’s inconsistency is due to Vogel’s constantly fluctuating lineups, per Buha.

“It’s difficult,” Westbrook said. “You never know when you’re coming in. You never know when you’re coming out. You never know when you’re playing. You never know a bunch of things. And I’m speaking for me personally. It’s a difficult process to be able to figure out and (create) a rhythm, (create) some consistency where we can actually see what we’re able to do as a team. But those decisions are made by him (Vogel) and this coaching staff, and you’ve gotta live with it and move on.”

Westbrook tried to offer to support to Davis and James in the closing seconds of the dispiriting loss, a gesture that didn’t appear to go over very well, although that could have been poor timing rather than ill-will. Still, it was a telling moment of potential dissatisfaction with how the gamble to acquire Westbrook has played out, Buha opines.

The Lakers are unlikely to find any takers for Westbrook at the trade deadline, which could increase the tension and awkwardness between the two sides, according to Buha.

At 26-29, the Lakers are currently the No. 9 seed in the West.

Lakers Feeling Urgency To Make Deadline Move

February 9th, 2022 at 7:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are feeling urgency to make a move prior to the trade deadline to try to get their season back on track, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

According to McMenamin, the team’s latest loss – to the defending champion Bucks – on Tuesday, led to the “uneasy admission” in the locker room that the current roster just isn’t working. Sources tell ESPN that standing pat at the deadline and hoping for the best isn’t viewed as a viable option by Lakers players.

After the game, star forward LeBron James acknowledged that there’s a significant gap between the Lakers and a serious title contender like Milwaukee.

“It tells me we ain’t on their level,” James said, per McMenamin. “I mean, I could have told you that before the game. … Obviously you always kind of use games to see where you are at that moment. But we know where we are at this moment: sitting at a couple, few games under .500. Haven’t played the basketball that we’d like to play.”

As Bill Oram of The Athletic writes, James offered a clear answer when asked if he thought the current roster was capable of reaching the Bucks’ level: “Do I think we can reach the level where Milwaukee is right now? Um, no. Is that what you wanted to hear? No.”

While the Lakers may feel more compelled than ever to shake up their roster at the deadline, their ability to do so will be limited due to their lack of valuable trade chips.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

For the third time this season, Russell Westbrook was benched during crunch-time minutes on Tuesday. Asked after the game about what he had to do to earn a consistent spot in L.A.’s closing lineups, Westbrook rejected the premise of the question, per McMenamin. “I shouldn’t have to hit any benchmark, to be honest,” Westbrook said. “I’ve put a lot of work and I’ve got a lot of respect in this game. I don’t got to hit a benchmark, or I shouldn’t have to. I’ve earned a right to be in closing lineups.”
One Lakers staffer who had reservations about the Westbrook trade when the team made the deal in the offseason told Oram, “I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said on Tuesday that the team remains hopeful Kendrick Nunn will be able to play this season, but acknowledged that the point guard is unlikely to suit up until at least March, per Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group. Nunn, who is considered one of L.A.’s only trade chips, hasn’t played at all this season due to a right knee injury.

Pacific Notes: James, Davis, Fox, Haliburton, Rubio, Green, Wiseman

February 7th, 2022 at 8:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has remained in regular communication with LeBron James and Anthony Davis to discuss potential trades, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, but Pelinka has done that in the past. James is prepared to play out the season with the current roster.

“I don’t really like to play fantasy basketball, so this is the group that we have going into the deadline and we’ll be ready to take on all challenges that this season has given us,” James said. “If there’s an opportunity — I’ve said this every year – if there’s an opportunity for you to get better, then you explore those options. That’s always been (my stance).”

The Lakers don’t have a lot of flexibility with three max deals on their cap.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Kings would still prefer to build around De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, sources told the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson. Fox is in the first year of a five-year, $163MM max contract extension. This comes on the heels of a report that the Knicks are interested in Fox and that some people around the NBA believe Sacramento hasn’t given up on its pursuit of Ben Simmons.
Injured guard Ricky Rubio, who just had his expiring contract moved from Cleveland to Indiana, said in a recent Spanish media interview (hat tip to Hoops Hype) that he wouldn’t mind eventually playing with the Warriors. “It would be nice to play with (Stephen) Curry and Klay Thompson,” Rubio said.
While the Warriors might be in the market for frontcourt help, GM Bob Myers said the best solution would be to get Draymond Green and James Wiseman back in action, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. “We’re being told that both of those guys, Draymond and James, will be available and back to help up with some games to go,” he said. “I don’t know if it’ll be 20, 25, 15. But we think those two will help us more than anything we’re looking at on the market.”

Lakers Notes: Westbrook, James, Monk, Davis

February 6th, 2022 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers rallied from 21 points behind and pulled out a much-needed win over the Knicks Saturday night, and they did much of it without Russell Westbrook. The former MVP, who was booed by L.A. fans in the midst of a terrible shooting night, was kept on the bench for the first 6:30 of the fourth quarter and all of overtime, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. It’s the second crunch-time benching in less than a month for Westbrook, but he reacted differently than when it happened against the Pacers nine games ago.

“I just talked to [coach Frank Vogel] about that I was upset about it,” he said of the Indiana game. “But I was more upset I didn’t win the game. But not about when or how he would do it. But it doesn’t matter. Like I said, it’s not about me. I don’t want to make it about me. It’s more about our team and our guys. Tonight we got a good win and now move onto the next one.”

Westbrook and the Lakers haven’t come close to meeting the expectations that were set when he was acquired from the Wizards in an offseason trade. L.A. is ninth in the West at 26-28 and Westbrook’s poor shooting has made him a scapegoat for all that has gone wrong. There have been rumors that the front office will try to move him before Thursday’s trade deadline, but LeBron James offered support after the game.

“I told him to keep going, to stop second-guessing himself during the game,” James said. “There were a couple of times where he had good looks, second-guessed himself and a couple times where he had some drives and he had them and second-guessed himself. He’s an instinctive player and he should never, what he’s done in this league, he should never second-guess himself if he’s put the work in — and he’s put the work in. … And I don’t need to harp on what we need to say to him. I mean, he’s a big-time player. And I have the utmost confidence in his ability, not only for this team but for himself, individually.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

James returned to the lineup with a triple-double and didn’t show any effects of the knee swelling that forced him to miss five games, McMenamin writes in a separate story. “After the first quarter, the knee loosened up a lot more,” James said. “My mind loosened up a lot more. And I was just able to play basketball.”
Malik Monk also had a huge game with 29 points while shooting 4-of-8 from three-point range, but as Bobby Marks of ESPN points out (via Twitter), re-signing Monk won’t be easy. Unless the Lakers can unload salary during the offseason, their offer will be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be worth about $6.3MM.
After eight consecutive All-Star appearances, Anthony Davis wasn’t voted into the game or selected for the reserves this year. Although he could still be chosen to replace the injured Draymond Green, he wouldn’t be upset about missing the event, per Mark Medina of NBA.com.

LeBron James Will Play Tonight

February 5th, 2022 at 6:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

After missing five games with swelling in his left knee, Lakers star LeBron James will return for tonight’s nationally televised contest with the Knicks, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

James was originally listed as doubtful, but he tested the knee and decided he was able to go. He hasn’t played since January 25 when he logged 34 minutes in a win over the Nets.

The Lakers went 1-4 while he was sidelined and are currently ninth in the Western Conference with a 25-28 record.

James will replace Avery Bradley in the starting lineup, tweets Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. Malik Monk will remain in a starting role.

James has missed 17 games so far this season, but he’s still putting up elite numbers when he does play, averaging 29.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per night while shooting 52.2% from the field and 35.2% from three-point range.