LeBron frustrated with Lakers’ direction since Westbrook trade — Fair or Not? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

LeBron frustrated with Lakers’ direction since Westbrook trade — Fair or Not? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

There’s real frustration
over the Lakers lack of direction since the
Russell Westbrook trade. Going back, the whole thing
has become pretty awkward. Yet the reality is they’re both
better off with each other. There’s no trade the Lakers
would make that would give James a better
chance at a title than he has playing with Luka. Is it fair for LeBron to be
frustrated with the Lakers Well, let me first say, and
Nick and I have both talked about this, the trade with the
Knicks for Karl Anthony Towns, I think would give LeBron
a better chance of winning a title just because
it’d be much easier to get to the championship. And then once you’re there with
his experience, you never know. Look, the Lakers
haven’t certainly have made some mistakes since
the Westbrook trade. They haven’t been perfect. But overall, I don’t
think he should be. I mean no more
frustrated than like than Steph or Giannis or
Jokic like like they’ve he had Anthony Davis. He now has Luka Doncic. And I get it, Rob
Pelinka didn’t move heaven and Earth to get Luka,
but still got Luka Doncic. All right. Yeah And the Rui Hachimura you
can do a lot worse than him. Austin Reaves people
forget he was undrafted. They found Austin
Reaves gave him a chance as an undrafted free agent. And he’s turned into
a 20 point scorer. By the way. They were one of the few
teams a handful of teams to have 320 point
scorers last season because obviously AD was one. Then Luka became one
with Reaves and LeBron and then a Gabe Vincent. Hasn’t done much for the Lakers,
but that’s not a bad signing. He helped Miami. He played a critical role in
Miami getting to the finals. But isn’t part of your
job as a GM to determine what a guy just did. A is it an outlier
or a fluke, or B it is he able to do it there but
he won’t be able to do it here. I disagree with you. I think Gabe Vincent
is a bad signing. I didn’t think it at the time. Well, if it turns
out I was wrong Yeah But there are a lot of. And well, I didn’t even
D’Angelo Russell was there and he’s a bad playoff player,
but he was good for them that regular season. And you said something a week
or two ago about there’s always room in a seven game series. Generally, I think you
said generally the team with the best player wins. The look at who the Lakers
have lost to in the playoffs since the Westbrook trade. Denver twice. Jokic is the best
player in the series and last year they
lost to Minnesota. I tend to agree with you
that Luka is better than an but maybe not last
year’s Luka like he still was know probably not 100%
So they lost to Anthony Edwards. Yeah but so I mean, I just
again they have nobody has the perfect team. Like I feel like LeBron has
gone because I interviewed him a lot earlier in his
career where he thought he could win with anybody. And he almost did in Cleveland. But he thought he
could win with anybody. I feel like he’s gone from
I can win with anybody to I need the perfect team. Everything has to be. Nobody has the perfect team. That’s why your superstars
have to get you over the hump sometimes when you don’t
have the perfect team. I agree with that. I don’t think LeBron feels like
I have to have the perfect team. I would be frustrated if I.
Here’s something that was bigger in I think like you know
Lakers Twitter and Lakers world than maybe the National media. But it was right or wrong. Anthony Davis for three years
was like, hey, you know what. I would like a center. I don’t like to play center. We all thought you
should play center. You know what I mean. Like whatever. But you remember when we
won that championship. What we had a center. Do I like that. And I played power
forward and they were like, no, we’re not doing it. And then 9 days after
trading for Luka, they tried to they
traded for a center. You know what I mean. It’s like, OK, now we
can try to win right now. When previously we couldn’t. Now that trade fell through
because of the medical and whatever. That’s fine. Where I would also be
frustrated is I just think the lack of creativity. And movement. I don’t think it’s
nothing that the Lakers have not made an offseason
trade in three years. I think offseason
trades are hard. I think there’s these
days they’re even harder. You trades in general,
not just offseason. They’re even harder. I don’t love that they
did find Austin Reaves. That’s true. They also used a first
round pick on a guy who’s out of the league two years in. And Jalen hood-schifino. So they’re they’re
like a lot of teams. It’s not you know it’s a right. It’s it’s touch and go on that. I think the issue
with the Lakers right now is I do really like
the starting lineup. I I think they have
of all the teams, we’re talking about
being contenders. Now that Denver has
addressed some things, almost assuredly the the
weakest bench and I don’t think it’s close. So like you mentioned
Gabe Vincent, he has to be a big part of it. He hasn’t been good as a Laker. Jarred Vanderbilt who
goes from like coach’s decision DNP and injuries
to like oh, he can guard. He has to be a big part of it. The guy that the I
thought was a great pick. You know maybe I wouldn’t be
a good GM Dalton Knecht just had one of the worst. Like he’s really struggled. Like I just when I
and then that’s it. It’s Maxi Kleber. It’s LaRavia. It’s Wildes’ guy Jaxson
Hayes for the record I’m not joking
the way Bronny has been playing in Summer League. Like no he should
contribute right. But that’s so that’s I think
the frustration is they have. I think that they
have not treated, it like we have a real shot
of winning the championship. They’ve treated it
like we have a shot at winning a championship. So they’ve been half measures. We’ll make small moves
around the edges. We want to keep our flexibility. We want to do that. And I just think and I’ve
said it the other day and then I’ll let you go wild. I think their best chance
of winning a championship in the next three
years with Luka is this year, because
once LeBron’s gone, I don’t know that in the year. Like, I think Luka’s next year
is going to be a plus player and will be I just
don’t know that they’re all of a sudden going
to have a better co-star for Luka just out of nowhere. They don’t have a great tradable
asset, you know what I mean. Like they don’t. Well, and that’s part of it. You don’t have a
great tradable asset. You did get DeAndre Ayton again. Not that it was a great move. It took a lot. But still added DeAndre Ayton. It’s worth it. Go ahead, KW. You teased us in the break. You’re like, I’m going
to have the greatest take in the history of sports. No, it’s not. It’s not a take. But like I always say,
I owe you honesty. That’s what I say. I never said that before,
but I also say it now. I think it’s good. Both of you. I also say I owe you one. You know what. I say it too. Exactly I’ve never said it,
but I say we all say it. That’s right. And when something
comes across my desk, I’m going to get something
comes across my desk. That’s interesting. I think I owe it to you to say. Well, that’s interesting. OK Because I’ve been
hearing that it’s such a foolish move to keep
your powder dry for 2027. But then this Photoshop
came across my desk. And if anything,
I owe you honesty that this rattled my cage. I said, oh, my. This is from.
Hold on. It’s from. We rarely quote basketball
forever that B ball forever anybody could have done this. Yeah of course. But go ahead quote it. What are you quoting. I’m not quoting anything. So now you all of a sudden
think Jokic wants to be a Laker. I’m not saying that. I’m just saying I
owe you honesty. And then when I look at this
because I was 100% on your side. You’re like how dare they. They’re trying to keep
their cap clean for 2027. Who cares about we might
not even make it to 2027. Oh my goodness. An asteroid could hit the Earth. What are you talking about. Asteroids all right. Stop and then I saw this, and I
said, oh this does make sense. You could put Giannis
in that picture. Oh yeah. But here’s the problem. And I think you’ll
agree with me. It would if they had not traded
for Luka I would be OK with it more OK. If it was just
LeBron and AD again. And they’re like, you know what. We are not going to go all in. And when we don’t know what the
future holds for us, so be it. They they have a guy who is
going to when the odds come out, they probably already out either
be first, second, or third. Most likely to be league
MVP on their team. 2027 is two Summers from now. And the idea that
you are going to not take on any other contracts
or do any other thing. Also, you’re going to just let
LeBron James walk for nothing. All of that because you think
that maybe you have a shot. I think that would be when you
have Luke on your team that would be negative. I totally agree that
would be stupid. And I don’t think
they’re going that route. I think they’re
like, we’re going to make moves unless
there’s a no brainer move. That definitely helps us. We do have an eye toward
not only 2027 but 2026. And, you keeping our cap clean. I don’t think it’s. Under no circumstances
will we make a move. Like, what’s the
move you want them to make that they haven’t
made because they’re saving room for 20. Oh, I don’t have the
specific like I don’t they they don’t have many. And I get it. GMs get creative. I mean, they got
creative in Milwaukee and just no you know and I but
what I think they want them to do is you have some
expiring contracts that along with a first
round pick or you could get a valuable role player. I just think that’s what it is. But it was I think they value
the expiring contracts because of stupid photoshops like that. Jokic is going to sign
an extension in Denver for $300 million
a year from now. And that’s gone. That’s gone. Yeah, I’d be surprised. He’s a Laker. But Luke Kornet like I
would like Luke Kornet. No like I’m like
who’s like the guy like Luke Kornet just signed. That’s what I’m saying. They just got DeAndre
Ayton DeAndre Ayton got waived who’s
better DeAndre Ayton or Luke Kornet Luke Kornet. Oh gosh.

Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes, and Chris Broussard react to reports that LeBron James has been frustrated with the Los Angeles Lakers’ lack of direction since the Russell Westbrook trade. The crew debates whether LeBron’s frustrations are justified and what this means for the Lakers’ future as they try to build another championship run.

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LeBron frustrated with Lakers’ direction since Westbrook trade — Fair or Not? | FIRST THINGS FIRST
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