According to a report from Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, tensions are high between LeBron James’s agency, Klutch Sports, and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
The reported tension between the two parties stems from a quiet trade deadline that saw the Lakers pass on the opportunity to acquire former All-Star John Wall from the Rockets. Like LeBron, Wall is also a Klutch Sports client, and a trade out of Houston would have relieved Wall from an untenable situation with the franchise.
Wall returned from a torn Achilles tendon last season and averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game. He has not played this season as the Rockets have pivoted to developing the younger talent on the roster.
In order to acquire Wall, the Lakers would have reportedly had to trade embattled guard Russell Westbrook back to his former team and would have had to trade a future first-round pick as well, which is something that Pelinka was unwilling to do.
LeBron would have welcomed the trade, as the Westbrook experiment in Los Angeles has not gone according to plan. The Lakers have struggled all year long as a team, while Westbrook himself has been unable to establish any sort of consistency with his offensive game.
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LeBron is a free agent following the 2022–23 season, and the Lakers will need to decide soon whether they want to extend him. He is still playing some of the best basketball of his career late into his 30s, but the question remains whether he wants to stay in Los Angeles, especially if his trust is wavering in the front office’s ability to build another championship roster.
The Lakers are 27–31 and ninth in the Western Conference. They begin their second half of the season Friday night against the Clippers.
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For more Lakers coverage, visit All Lakers.
