Following NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland, LeBron James garnered headlines for comments that he made to The Athletic, where he discussed not closing the door on a possible return to the Cavaliers.
“The door’s not closed on that. I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t even know when I’m free.”
Lakers coach Frank Vogel addressed the comments and associated rumors surrounding James’s future in Los Angeles with media on Thursday afternoon.
“I learned to let the noise be noise,” Vogel said during media availability on Thursday.
“I enjoyed the break with my family. That’s just noise.”
While Vogel does not appear too concerned about comments and rumors surrounding his star player, there may be more than “just noise” when it comes to James’s feelings about the current state of the organization.
In addition to the on-record comments to The Athletic, a separate report from Bleacher Report indicated that LeBron’s agency, Klutch Sports, was not happy with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka refusing to trade Russell Westbrook and a future first-round pick to the Rockets for the rights to former All-Star John Wall.
The Lakers are mired in a mediocre season thus far, as the team returns from the All-Star break with a 27–31 record, good for ninth in the Western Conference.
If the playoffs started today, the Lakers would be in the play-in tournament for the final two first round playoff spots.
That is not what anybody associated with the franchise envisioned for this season, with James and star big man Anthony Davis returning to the fold from injuries that hampered their 2020–21 campaign.
There is a lot of basketball left to be played, and how the season ends for the Lakers could shape the way the franchise moves forward, whether that’s with or without their superstar from Akron.
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