Former NBA player JJ Redick responded on a television show today to famous journalist Stephen A-Smith's remarks that the Lakers should seriously consider trading LeBron James.
"First, that would violate the Lakers' decades-old code of conduct. They are a club powered by superstars. Second, trading LeBron to the Jazz or Trail Blazers would also violate their code of conduct. Because, unless they have his own consent, they won't trade LeBron. They would never force a trade for LeBron, which goes against their usual style, which is the same family that Dr. Bass Sr. has inherited.
"If you're a team looking to trade LeBron James, you have to pay all the young players for it. Like the Heat you mentioned, Bam-Adebayo? Do you think getting LeBron James to give up Bam Adebayo at the same time would bring the Heat closer to winning a championship? No, it won't. Cavaliers, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, these guys, they're building for the future. You're talking about other teams that operate the same way the Lakers have done in the last few decades, and other teams don't want to do that anymore, and that's the Lakers' problem. They are reluctant to modernize the way the team operates.
"We've also seen that they've only made the playoffs three times in the last decade, and only once have they made it past the first round, and that's in the 2020 park. They actually wanted to bring Phil Jackson in to help the coach, and considering his resume as a Knicks executive, and his history of coaching there, this is their Lakers' behavior model, and we've said this many times, and it fits the Lakers' behavior model. Other teams will not be affected by this approach. So, no, I think it's crazy idea. Redick said.