?These Trades Would Involve Moving Russ?: NBA Twitter Reacts to Possible Reason for the Lakers? Trade Reluctance

The Los Angeles Lakers need a blockbuster trade as soon as possible, considering the current state of their roster and the recent comments from LeBron James that have rocked the NBA community. Lately, the NBA world has been theorizing as to why the Lakers are hesitant to include two future first-round picks in a Russell Westbrook trade package. With the trade deadline just a month away, Lakers fans are getting impatient with the front office’s persistent delay. Amidst all that, NBA reporter Marc Stein has come up with a new report that could be the reason behind the Lakers’ resistance.

The Los Angeles Lakers were in trade talks with the Indiana Pacers before the 2023 season began. The trade involved Russell Westbrook and Pacers’ Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. However, the deal fell apart when the Lakers refused to include the 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks.

Fans react to the Lakers’ real intentions behind saving draft picks, per NBA insider

According to a recent report by Marc Stein via The Stein Line, officials from the Los Angeles Lakers’ “rival offices” believe that the purple and gold franchise are saving their draft picks for two particular NBA stars. The Lakers are apparently aiming to use their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks for a potential future deal to acquire Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine,?Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, or players of similar caliber.

The prolonged delay from the Lakers’ management in making a move has frustrated many fans and potentially even players. However, Stein recently put forward the argument that the LA side could be playing the long game in an attempt to bag better players when the opportunity presents itself.

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Following the new reports, Twitterati is not too keen about the Lakers’ trade preference for a number of reasons. While some fans didn’t want them to trade 9x NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook, others found the entire trade situation drama funny. Several fans are also running out of patience while waiting for the Lakers to really take action. Below are a few of the tweets.

Most fans seemed to dislike the idea of signing Beal or Lavine in exchange for Westbrook and future draft picks.

LeBron James on the Lakers’ trade delay

Following a brief interview, Sam Amick from The Athletic recently reported that NBA superstar LeBron James was running out of patience. Amick caught up with the four-time NBA champion shortly after the Los Angeles Lakers won their fifth consecutive game on Saturday night. As per Amick, James was getting impatient with the trade deadline just a month away.

“Y?all know what the f? should be happening. I don?t need to talk,” James told Amick while also stating that it wasn’t his job to worry about anything other than the players in the locker room.

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After The Athletic published an article about the brief exchange, King James took to Twitter to clarify the matter and commented that his patience wasn’t waning. If anything, he was in a calm state of mind thanks to the five-game winning streak.