Lakers: Did LeBron James Just Advertise Himself As Summer Trade Candidate After Breaking Scoring Record?

To be fair, that was right before LA made some big trades.

Los Angeles Lakers All-Star power forward LeBron James suggested he was somewhat unhappy with team vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka's team-building, or lack thereof, after setting the NBA's all-time regular season scoring record, previously held by LA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, on Tuesday, The new record: 38,390 points. For now.

James spoke with another Lakers Hall of Famer (LA does have a lot of those), center Shaquille O'Neal, about his expectations for his own NBA future. During the chat, he subtly seemed to insinuate how helpful he could be for teams looking to win -- as if somehow inferring that his current club was not quite doing that.

"It hasn't quite sunk in just yet...I know I can play a couple more years." pic.twitter.com/HJPoEtUVu8

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 8, 2023

“Big Fella, for sure I know I can play a couple more years," James told O'Neal. "The way I’m feeling, the way my body’s been reacting to me throughout the course of this season, I know I can play a couple more years. It’s all about my mind. If my mind is still into it, if I’m still motivated to go out and try to compete for championships. Because I feel like that’s what I can still do for any group of guys, for any franchise, I can go out there and still help win multiple championships, or win a championship. So that’s my mindset... If my mind is sharp and I feel motivated to go out and prepare myself every single day then I can continue to play this game.”

It certainly seems like James was inviting "any franchise" interested in getting his help winning "multiple championships" to possibly vie for his services when he becomes trade-eligible in the 2023 offseason. Just a day after this, of course, Pelinka got to work in earnest, almost totally reshaping LA's roster depth surrounding James and Anthony Davis. Only five role players who played major minutes for the team now remain: Dennis Schröder, Lonnie Walker IV, Austin Reaves, Troy Brown Jr. and Wenyen Gabriel. 

Schröder seems guaranteed to keep a big role as a backup point guard behind assumed new starter D'Angelo Russell. Gabriel seems likely to lose regular minutes with Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba now on the team. The fates of Walker, Brown and Reaves are bit unclear, with Malik Beasley and Rui Hachimura now in the wing mix.

Will LeBron James still want to be traded after the season? Or will these new additions, all of whom represent massive upgrades over the outgoing ex-Lakers, help convince him that LA does want to compete, now and in the future?