(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Throughout the course of NBA history, we’ve seen multiple players openly speak up and claim they want to be traded.
Some have even talked about the team they want to be traded to, while others have taken big shots at the front office for not giving them the help they need.
Notably, LeBron James has never followed that M.O.
Instead, the four-time NBA champion has gone to his huge bag of resources and platform to make countless passive-aggressive comments and actions to put pressure on his team.
Notably, he shocked the NBA scene by pulling off a new one on Saturday, as he actually wore a New York Knicks towel on his neck while giving a post-game interview.
Then, he talked about how he thought about playing for the Knicks at some point in his career, followed by an Instagram story calling Madison Square Garden ‘his favorite playground.’
If you’ve been a fan of the NBA long enough, you may know that LeBron James never does or says anything unintentionally or without purpose.
With that in mind, insider Brian Windhorst, who’s been following LeBron since his high school days, stated the obvious: He’s just using the Knicks as leverage to pressure the Lakers’ front office (via NBA Central).
LeBron James was using the Knicks to put pressure on the Lakers, per @WindhorstESPN
“He was cognizant and aware that he was putting on a towel that said New York Knicks. Why would he mess with the Knicks? Because he was using the Knicks as a tool to pressure the Laker.”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/HNvDehobr2
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 5, 2024
James has a player option in the final year of his contract, and he could opt out and become a free agent, so he’s teasing a potential move to New York City to make Rob Pelinka cave in and pull off some big trades.
The issue, however, is that they don’t have many valuable trade pieces.
LeBron James has had a say in their roster-building from the very moment he arrived in Los Angeles, which is perfectly fine, as he’s their undisputed best player and franchise star.
Now, they have to decide whether they will allow him to dictate their course of action or not.
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