The Los Angeles Lakers are perhaps the most popular NBA team in the world. They're always obliged to compete at the highest level and with LeBron James at the helm, you know they can't afford to waste a single minute of his contract.
Frank Vogel's side has been far from good this season. Injuries and bad luck aside, they just haven't meshed well together and you have to wonder whether trading away most of their depth was the right move.
Needless to say, the status of the team and the poor fit with Russell Westbrook have prompted countless rumors around the league, with some even stating that James could force his way out of the franchise to get back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA Rumors: LeBron James Doesn't Want To Leave The Lakers
Nonetheless, those rumors are false and baseless, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. If anything, James wants to stay put at the West Coast and the Lakers to make a couple of moves:
"I heard directly from Rich Paul that LeBron James isn't leaving the Lakers," Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show. "This team just doesn't look it has the young legs that they need to have & they have been very active in the trade market"
Lakers Eyeing Two Stars To Salvage Their Season
Moreover, Charania reported that the Lakers are keeping tabs on both Ben Simmons and Jerami Grant, two versatile defenders that could finally put an end to their woes and take them to the next level:
“They made that trade for Russell Westbrook in the summer and it hasn’t just paid dividends,” Charania said. “This team doesn’t look like it has the young legs that they need to have. That’s why I’ve heard that they have been active in the trade market. When you look at a guy like Ben Simmons, they’d love to get their hands on a guy like him. Jerami Grant, those are the types of guys that they need on this team. Young, 6’9″, 6’10”, athletic wings, can handle the ball, can score, can pass. They need guys like that. They don’t have enough of them that have the youth, in their prime type of experience.”
Landing either Simmons or Grant won't be an easy task for Rob Pelinka, even if both of their teams are looking to trade them. But they're not very good right now and need to find a way to get the job done.
