Though it’s unlikely, LeBron James and the Knicks make sense right now.
Please read this piece with the disclaimer that LeBron James is not guaranteed to sign with the Knicks. It hasn’t been brought up in NBA circles, at least not that I visit, aside from the internet’s attempts to decipher tea leaves and media guru Stephen A. Smith’s longing for the transfer.
Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports, is one of the influential agents who has stated on record that a trade—to the Knicks or elsewhere—won’t occur. Although LeBron does not have a no-trade clause, no team would trade for him if he did not give his approval.
It is, after all, LeBron James. It would need a team effort to relocate him. Furthermore, I wouldn’t place too much stock in Paul and Leon Rose’s Friday bread-breaking incident, as reported by The Post, in terms of the Hall of Famer’s future. Not because LeBron might become available at some point, but rather because of Klutch Sports’ extensive clientele in the NBA, it is critical for the Knicks to have a positive business relationship with the agency.
However, I can state with confidence that LeBron’s desire to leave the Lakers would be quite logical from a basketball standpoint. Additionally, the Knicks (32-18) are a better choice than his own team (26-25) for the first time in his illustrious career since they are closer to winning a championship.
That was less evident on Saturday, as the Lakers defeated the Knicks 113-105 in the fourth quarter. But without Quentin Grimes, Julius Randle, and original player Anunoby, the Knicks were likewise a shell of their former selves. They played poorly, missed a lot of shots, and eventually their ailments got the better of them. As they demonstrated at Crypto.com Arena earlier this season, they are superior to the Lakers.
“We were simply not hitting the target,” Isaiah Hartenstein stated. “From top to bottom. It was simply one of those games where certain things were missing.
In any case, James needs to realize that his crew in La La Land is quite subpar. He’s growing restless. On Wednesday, the four-time champion tweeted an hourglass emoji, making it apparent that time was running out.
Ahead of his Garden game on Saturday, James then declined to elaborate on the tweet. He also had little interest in talking about his future or his contract option with the Lakers. No cliched statements like “I love it here” or “I would prefer to stay”
Simply said, “No” is the response to those two inquiries.
Astute observers of the circumstances think James is trying to get the Lakers to trade for a big player in order to improve the team. Put another way, provide him better material to work with by selecting their draft choices. Dejounte Murray of Atlanta comes to mind. LeBron has no intention of using passive-aggressive tweeting as a new tactic to preserve his future assets. This was the playbook he utilized at Cleveland.
Honestly, who was to blame LeBron? He is the NBA’s oldest player who is still producing All-Star caliber play and defying Father Time.
