LeBron’s gotta play the cards being dealt – Perk on Lakers staying quiet at the deadline | NBA Today

LeBron’s gotta play the cards being dealt – Perk on Lakers staying quiet at the deadline | NBA Today

We’ve seen the sands of time in cryptic social media posts we’ve heard like you just did LeBron James post game saying that he wants some things but also this isn’t his job help us make sense of this because the Lakers have not made a move yet they are just better positioned to

Make a trade in the summer than they are today for about 10 different reasons lack of assets things being more available during the summer that d’angela Russell has started playing better and that does not pair with having the oldest player in the league

It is a tough s to say that a team with the oldest player in the league is standing Pat I understand that but here’s the other thing that happens when you have LeBron on your team and you constantly have the gas pedal down you kind of just run out of string this

Happened in Miami this happened in Cleveland and he has been with the Lakers two years longer than he was with that team and you just run out of the ability to truly make meaningful changes to your roster and LeBron doesn’t care he says I’m bringing it every night you

Got to bring it every day in the front office and so what I think was going to happen going to celebrate Kobe tonight LeBron’s not going to be happy the Lakers are not going to be happy and we’re going to try to make the best of

It okay try to make the best of it that sounds like an uncomfortable situation if you’re LeBron are you okay with that perk no but he has to be just because he sent out a text message don’t mean Rober Linka got a text back or look at his

Phone is that why you didn’t text me back I’m just saying it’s what I’m saying is look the the thing is is this right Rob palinka still got to do what’s best for the team and when you look at all the moves that has been made around

The league right now like what’s really out there what’s really out there that’s going to put the Lakers over the hump or put them in a better position position is it de jont Murray I I don’t believe so like what other guys out there and

Right now if I’m bra I’m looking at it I’m saying you know what D’Angelo Russell he’s balling right now right Austin Reeds is balling right now ad is playing like a top five player in the league right now both ends of the floor

So I mean as bad as we want to see and I want to see them make a big move for a star and right like a likes of a Kyrie Irving like we know that’s not going to happen but I think Brun just got to play the cards that’s being dealt right now

And roll with the guys that are in the locker room like Brian mentioned it they don’t have a lot of assets here at this at this juncture in the summer they’ll have three first round picks that they could potentially trade right now they have one first that’s all the way out in

2029 could be valuable but the the player that everybody calls about the player that everyone wants is Austin Reeves Austin Reeves is part of their core and so you have to decide is there a player out there that gives you a better chance of winning than Austin

Reeves does he was part of their identity last year he’s part of their ever since he’s moved back into the starting lineup he’s been helping that team function you saw what he did in Boston and so I think that that’s part of the reason you’re not seeing anything

Big happen with the Lakers because the players that everybody wants they value as well yeah to piggy back on perk’s point I think LeBron just has to make the best of the situation right now it is what it is it’s kind of reminds me of the Warriors they’re more farther along

In a better team I think than the Warriors obviously but just in terms of we talk about Steph wasting one of these years you know LeBron James the oldest player in the league you know this is essentially a year that could be wasted when he’s still playing Prime like

Basketball I don’t know how that’s a different story but this is it is what it is the Silver Lining here is and the difference between them and the Warriors is this team has shown that they can beat the best when they have it turned on they haven’t been healthy all year

Gab venson hasn’t really played a lot Bando has been out a lot when this team is fully healthy with all these assets that they have around let’s see it let’s see it work out let’s build I think that’s one of the things that Rob blink has been weighing he’s like they act

They could have acquired Deonte Murray they had what was needed what the Hawks wanted but the Lakers couldn’t look at it and say at the end of it they would actually for sure be better they don’t they don’t they don’t need to do that right now but let me remind the world

That Rob pinka actually done right by BR by cleaning up his mess when they traded all those pieces for Russell Westbrook like two seasons ago Rob Pinko the way that he did last last trade deadline and the way that he put that team together to make that run that was cleaning up

LeBron and AD mess they wanted Russ they pushed for Russell Westbrook to come to the Lakers and so when I think about you know what Ro link has done as a GM I mean I think he’s done an exceptional job he just got to St past sometimes you

Got to you know go go go to war with BR it’s not an easy task but damn it long as you got the support of Genie bus you good you in good hand should everything be on the table for the Los Angeles Lakers to make a move

Here well look we’ve seen what happens when LeBron leaves teams Miami Cleveland they strip mine all the assets and they’re in the toilet when he leaves and it’s a hard deal to rebuild that’s what happens and look the perk is right on this the Lakers have been fighting from

Behind since the moment they made the Russell Westbrook trade and separately let Alex cruso walk in free agency and watch that title team from the bubble piece by piece by piece leave for stuff that didn’t fit and they’ve actually done a pretty good job of fighting from

Behind but fighting from behind is hard and this is just where the Lakers are they don’t have a ton of assets and you look around the league and I just want people to tell me and you already answered it what is the trade they could

Have made that closes the Gap and it’s a big one between the Lakers and the four best teams in the west and if you look at all the people who got traded today so far and what they got traed for I don’t think that player is out there I

Don’t think Trading Austin Reed for Deonte Murray does much of anything really to close that Gap and so the Lakers have to look at LeBron and say hey do your best with the team we have we’re starting to play better we’re starting ruy hamura and Austin Reeves

Together with you two that makes sense let’s see what you got let’s see if we can make another run at it if not we roll all this stuff over to the summer we have more stuff to trade maybe we make a big acquisition then but I’ll tell you this

I’m watching the Lakers even more closely than usual for these last two months and the playin or the playoffs if they get there because look we all know the truth LeBron has a player option for next year if this team doesn’t play well you know he has outs if he wants to

Leave I don’t think he wants to leave I think he’d like to remain a Laker for the rest of his career but the contract is what it is this team is what it is and they’d have competition in the summer for whoever big name player you

Want to name so this team has to prove itself to LeBron and to itself right now in this coming two months Zach mentioned sort of the elephant in the room that LeBron James has never been a free agent since he’s been with the Los Angeles Lakers is that something that La is

Prepared for it’s not it not that hasn’t just been a free agent he’s never even been a free agent to be they never even looked at a summer where he could be a free agent and you’re getting your answer right now they’re not acting like they’re petrified and I think that’s

Because they think the best course of action to keep LeBron and the the Lakers competitive is to do what they’re doing right now and also say this I I just don’t believe LeBron’s opting out of $51 million I just don’t believe that he is yeah I I don’t I it wouldn’t surprise me

If he postures that he will especially around the draft when there might be interesting things but because he doesn’t have to decide till 3 days after the draft June 29th I believe well who signed who signed a massive contract extension this off season wasn’t it Anthony Davis yeah Anthony Davis is

Represented by who Rich Paul so that relationship is a lot closer than what we realized and we need to bring that to attention as well like LeBron James ain’t just leaving Anthony Davis and I understand all the speculations if bronny come out is he going to enter the

Draft and Brun wanting to play with Brony or whatever the case may be but Anthony Davis is a focal point as well like right like you got him he’s locked in now ad I don’t know if he’s going to ask for a trade but Brun ain’t going

Nowhere well here’s the thing he’s been making his feelings known for the past couple weeks right clearly the sub twet tweets the side eyes the the he could have given Darin ham a ringing endorsement any of these post games has not happened right and I and I think

That when you look at LeBron and the way he puts pressure on an organization you have to also wonder what what what if you don’t do what he wants right what happens next because two years ago Brian we were on this very show they did not

Do anything he was sending all of the same message and maybe even louder and they did nothing they didn’t trade Russell Westbrook at that trade deadline fairly pretty quickly afterwards that everyone was hurt in the season kind of went off the rails but that was a wasted year for LeBron but they reconstituted

Fairly quickly and I think he’s got a decision to make whether if they’re not going to listen if they’re not going to do what he wants when he exerts pressure and he has more leverage and pressure than he’s ever had in Los Angeles what does he do then we have less than an

Hour for that answer to come to us whether the Lakers do anything even just something teeny weeny around the edges here so Zach if they don’t what do you see as the ceiling for this team I think they can get get into the playin and the play I mean they’re in

The playin now I think they can get into the playoffs can they win a round man that top four in the west is real tough and we just have not seen the Lakers play at that level for more than a game or two at a time I mean you can tell me

About the inseason tournament and all this that was one game here one game there you got to beat those teams four times in seven games that’s tough sledding to me and I will say this I agree with Brian I don’t see LeBron James opting out of $51 million at this

Stage in his career I think he wants to stay in Los Angeles but even if he opts in that doesn’t remove his leverage he has a number of moves he could play from then and he only opts in for that one year so I’m interested to see what

Happens and the last thing I’ll say is man that 2020 title feels like a long time to go and I heard Anthony Davis this week say bubble no bubble we were winning it credit to the Lakers they won it and I do think having that in the rearview mirror this this whole thing

Feels totally different I think if LeBron hadn’t already won a title in Los Angeles he came and he delivered what he set out to do and I think everybody feels better today given that [Applause] reality NBA on is

LeBron’s gotta play the cards being dealt – Perk on Lakers staying quiet at the deadline | NBA Today

The NBA Today discusses where the Los Angeles Lakers stand at the NBA trade deadline.

0:00 Lakers standing pat?
2:56 How LeBron feels about L.A.’s roster
5:17 Potential trade assets

#ESPN #NBA #NBAToday

☑️ Subscribe to ESPN+: https://plus.espn.com/
📱Get the ESPN App: http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn
🏀 Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2yxs3Og
☑️Subscribe to ESPN on YouTube: http://es.pn/SUBSCRIBEtoYOUTUBE
☑️Watch ESPN on YouTube TV: http://es.pn/YouTubeTV