LeBron James Gives Blunt Response to Question on Pelinka Trade Comments

The Lakers are expected to make some big moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

As the NBA trade deadline nears on Feb. 9, Lakers star LeBron James is continuously asked to give his thoughts on potential trades.

It seems like the 18-time All-Star is getting sick of the questions about the trade deadline, though. He offered a blunt response to one reporter after the team’s 133–115 loss to the Clippers on Tuesday night.

The reporter asked James what he thought about general manager Rob Pelinka’s previous comments on the Lakers’ trade deadline plans.

“How does it sit with you?” James said. “He said it to you guys. He’s talking to you, he wasn’t talking to us. Rob’s going to do his job, and that’s his job, my job is to be on the floor, make sure my guys in the locker room are ready to go.”

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— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 25, 2023

Pelinka’s comment in question came on Tuesday night ahead of the game.

“The calculus for the Lakers is to win a championship or not. There’s no in-between or incremental growth,” Pelinka said, via NBA. “As we analyze opportunities, we have to do it through that lens. If there’s an opportunity to get all the way at the end and win a championship, there’s no resource we’ll hold onto if we feel like that’s there. But at the same time, the completely unwise thing to do would be to shoot a bullet early and not have it later when you have a better championship move to make.”

James still hasn’t offered any of his opinions on the trade deadline chatter, often deflecting any questions about the subject matter.

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