Veteran forward LeBron James raised some eyebrows with his comments about the Lakers front office after the Timberwolves eliminated his team in the 2025 NBA playoffs.
When asked if it was physically taxing to log a lot of minutes at center — due to the Anthony Davis trade — James took a not-so-subtle shot at Rob Pelinka and Co.
“No comment, I’ll never say that, because my guy AD (Davis) said what he needed, and he was gone the following week,” James told reporters in jest. “I got no comment. I put that uniform on every night, I gave everything that I had, and that’s all that matters.”
James was referring to comments made by Davis in a January 23 interview with ESPN’s Shams Charania. Davis made it clear in the interview that he preferred to play power forward, imploring the Lakers to get him a center. The All-Star big was traded less than 10 days later to the Mavericks for Luka Doncic.
LeBron James Was ‘Disrespectful’
Although James made the comments tongue-in-cheek, ESPN insider Ramona Shelburne believes they were “disrespectful” towards the Lakers.
“I thought it was disrespectful towards the organization,” Shelburne told ESPN LA, via NBA Analysis. “Maybe it was a joke, I wasn’t in the room and he did laugh afterwards, but like, I don’t know if you make that joke after the way they played in the playoffs.”
Shelburne explained why James’ comments were also disrespectful to Doncic and Davis.
“I also thought it was kind of disrespectful to Luka, to AD, but mostly to the organization, they got Luka Doncic.”
“You don’t say no to that. You don’t trade AD because he asked for a center. They weren’t mad at Anthony, that had nothing to do to with it. That was just unnecessary stirring of the pot.”
Could James Leave the Lakers?
Although most insiders expect James to re-sign with the Lakers and finish his career as a member of the Purple and Gold, a recent report from The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick suggested that James was unwilling to take a pay cut to help the Lakers in the 2025-26 season.
Furthermore, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that James’s dynamic with the Lakers changed when the team rescinded a trade for Mark Williams following the Doncic acquisition.
“This enthusiasm and eagerness to make Doncic happy haven’t always been seen in instances with James. What is clear is that Doncic will have a say. And it wasn’t lost on James’ camp,” McMenamin wrote on February 10.
“Pelinka prioritized Doncic’s involvement upon his arrival and immediately engaged in the Williams trade that he’d asked for, when James had for years wanted the team to trade its picks to improve its roster.”
James, who has a $52.7 million player option, could potentially opt out and take a more cap-friendly deal to help the Lakers build a championship-level roster.
According to several insiders, the 40-year-old was open to the idea before the 2024-25 season but did not have to take a pay cut after free agent Klay Thompson signed with the Mavericks. The Lakers are expected to be in the market for defensive-minded bigs and wings.
