NBA
WATCH: LeBron James wears Knicks towel postgame and trade rumors go off the roof
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated06 Feb 2024
As we are only days away from Friday’s trade deadline, the speculation craze around the NBA is nothing short of amusing, as any little insinuation is picked up by both fans and experts as a potential deal. LeBron James‘ growing sense of urgency, mostly due to his age, has become the latest reason for drama in the league.
While the Lakers stand in the Western Conference’s 9th place halfway through regular season, everyone believes that the future Hall of Famer is desperate for his fifth NBA championship, a feat that would help cement his case as the basketball GOAT.
The 39-year-old tweeted an hourglass emoji after a falling to a defeat last week, and the trade rumors sparked suggesting he feels he’s running out of time before his impending retirement. After beating New York last week, LeBron wore a Knicks towel over his shoulders during his postgame interview and fans went crazy over what this suggested.
LeBron wearing a Knicks towel for his postgame interview 👀 pic.twitter.com/OMTzizCTN4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 4, 2024
NBA insider Brian Windhorst was one of the first to refer to this situation, saying that even though it is just a towel, he’s convinced that it was a calculated move to put some pressure on the Los Angeles’ organization. “Obviously LeBron often wears towels and this is why it’s so brilliant because he has perfect deniability,” the ESPN reporter said on a podcast.
“He can just be like, ‘Oh, I just put a towel around my shoulders. What are you talking about? You guys are out of your mind’,” he insisted. “But this is what LeBron excels at. He computes all this stuff. Of course, he was cognisant and aware 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 Lakers.”
At this point in the season, the Manhattan franchise sit fourth in the Eastern Conference and seem to have a better chance at the title than the purple and gold. Insider Kevin O’Connor believes that the power forward would benefit from a trade out of California this midseason.
“If a breakup is inevitable, I can’t help but wonder whether the best time for both LeBron and the Lakers to make a change is now, ahead of the deadline,” The Ringer reporter wrote. “James could join a contender, and Los Angeles could get something in return. Changing teams would allow LeBron to take advantage of one of his final years and would allow the Lakers to recoup some value and help lay the groundwork to pursue Luka Doncic later this decade.”
While most wish to see James play alongside his son Bronny, Austin Rivers explained why this is hurtful for the youngster’s career
Ever since Bronny James was getting closer to ending his high school career and ready to start college at USC, the Lakers superstar insisted that he didn’t want to retire until he could play alongside his eldest son. With all the new rumors going around, fans believe it has something to do with this.
Even though the Los Angeles front office stated that they have no intentions of parting ways with LeBron, former NBA player Austin Rivers couldn’t help but mention the ongoing wish of him playing with the 19-year-old.
In a recent interview, Rivers shared why he doesn’t want to see them play together, as he believes that Bronny needs to forge his own path without his father getting involved. “I don’t want to see Bronny play with (LeBron),” he said on ESPN.
“Him getting drafted and playing with his dad, I don’t want that negativity to come his way. He doesn’t deserve it… (He needs to) play somewhere where he can niche out his own identity,” Austin insisted on air.
