Are LeBron & the Lakers ON THE SAME PAGE heading into the NBA Trade Deadline? 👀 | NBA Today

the trio LeBron ad Russell they each scored over 25 points for the fifth time this year but the question is as you see how that Stacks up right will this be the trio that they keep heck will it be the team they keep LeBron James here's his comments after the game said you guys went four on two on the trip the next time you guys will play will be after the trade deadline do you feel like as a team you guys have proven or shown why you guys should continue to I guess invest in this current group this is what we have so there's nothing else to talk about do you like the makeup of this roster do you think this is roster is good enough to win a championship or does there need to be changes made that's not it's not a question for me um I love that we have in the locker room and uh that's all I worry about I don't get caught up in that um you know we're going to go out and prepare oursel um you know every single night it's my job in as 80s job as two two captains to make sure we keep the main thing the main thing and the main focus is now hey Rich what what's it like to be LeBron james' teammate this time of year let me see this is I think there's a big misconception here let me be very very clear if you're two games over 500 if you're Steph's teammate right now if you are if you are playing with a great player and the team is underperforming everyone I know we make this about LeBron this isn't about LeBron this is about having talent and not meeting those expectations it doesn't matter if you're Chicago it doesn't matter if you're Toronto it doesn't matter what team you are if you're not meeting the expectations everyone's on the trade deadline and I say that to be respectful in the sense that when the two years that I played with him we were contending for a championship there wasn't anybody that was stressed about getting traded because we were contending for a championship that's on me I'm saying in the two years that I was there I didn't play for it he shipped you out if he could have gotten somebody back 100% they did that with Anderson verou and brought enchanting fry and that was a key piece to us winning a championship but this is professional sports this isn't codling this is like if we're not performing at the level that we deserve at the level that the team the fans the organization and one of the greatest players of all time and it ain't just him our next segment's about the Warriors so I say that to be respectful and say that if you're not doing your job if it's in this building if it's another occupation you're all on the clock everyone you don't feel like it's a natural thing especially as the key player of the team right if they ask you do you think you have enough to win with the roster they're not saying should we make trades this this and that I know that's what they write it up as you don't think a player could just simply just say like yeah we have enough you know what I mean and then if something happens something happens well I think you're asking him to lie you're asking him to lie no he's not lying he's saying yes we have they do have enough they they do but when I say the LIE when I say you're asking the lie I mean in the sense that they're two games below 500 listen I I have no problem with him two games above excuse me you know the trade stuff I have no problem having no comment on that because we all know that each like you said it's no different on any team the best player always has a say on what's in the roster everybody always has a say but with that being said he comes across whether it's The Hourglass or some of these things that he does he like plays both sides to it and then they ask him about it and he'll he'll deny it but just for the sake of if something doesn't get done and this is the roster that is there like wouldn't you want to at least try to like you know what I mean I agree I ask you because you've been no because I want to I want I want to hear Wendy's thoughts on this my only thing is this we're dissecting what he's saying not dissecting their team let's dissect their team where they are where they've been how they've played in the last two months if we dissect that who gives a damn what he thinks who gives a damn somebody else think is this team good enough with the current roster okay I mean it's easy for you know how it is though in the locker room bro there everybody everyone in the league right now if you're not like you're not no I'm saying I'm saying I'm saying there's multiple players cover but I say that very few of LeBron's former teammates are his close friends very very few it's a very because when LeBron is done with you sayanora I'll send flowers LeBron will always send flowers because when he was a teenager he decided he was going to Max maximize it he was going to maximize his body he was going to maximize the money he could earn he was going to maximize what he could do for charity he going to maximize each season and sometimes maximizing the season means making the second round he would never say I'm going to make the second round but sometimes that's what you can do what he wants is the Lakers front office yeah to maximize what they can do by tomorrow afternoon AG he has scored 20 points in the last 10 games playing through an ankle injury he is 39 years old he is Maxim well you could debate on what what he's maximizing it on the defensive end but he is trying maximize this season that's all he wants and he's going to keep that pressure down until tomorrow or Thursday at 3:00 but when did that become a Bad Thing Max no no I'm not saying that you're people get annoyed at the passive aggressive nature it would be better if he just came out and said right because we're again we're dissect I agreed first of all as I was traded when dwade got in and there was another roster spot we got traded I'm still friends with LeBron because I understand that this is a business and I'm not a personally affect by this I would have traded him if I was him and he was me I would have traded him to bring in my best friend and to try and go and compete there this is this is business and and my thing with LeBron is this any great player should maximize it I saw Tim Duncan on the back of the plane with papovich trying to figure out what they were going to do now Tim doesn't say anything they don't but at the end of the day great players should maximize their window and if you were a casualty of that then that if if I guarantee you D'Angelo Russell or all of these players would not be up if they were in the third or fourth spot and that's not all their fault that's not it's not just it goes around the blank as you can see our Adrian wki reporting here so for more on Philadelphia's path without embiid we welcome in the aformentioned woe we know that embiid is going to be out wo for the All-Star Game what are the Sixers weighing as we're 48 hours away essentially from the trade deadline Malik the Sixers are very much weighing uh the possibility that Joel MB does return this season that they can still play with him as their centerpiece and uh because of that they're going to continue to be buyers at this trade deadline and I think they're trying to improve themselves on multiple fronts uh perhaps is there a backup center who could help carry them here in the short term there's certainly a number of them available there are a lot of teams in the market for backup centers potentially players like uh Andre J Drummond who had been in Philadelphia before uh Kelly o lenck those are some of the guys in that Marketplace but but doing bigger things than that what Philly wants to do they're in fifth place right now in the East they're three games up on Indiana what Philly would like to be able to do is stay uh at least in sixth place not drop out into the playin uh and and see if they can maintain that uh until Joel MB gets back or once he gets back and I think for them that's certainly a short-term goal but they're out they're aggressive they know they have a tight window with Joel MB they know there's risk in doing a deal or deals here and then he doesn't come back this season or he's not himself but I think they're willing to live with that risk because they have certainly uh you know the the reigning MVP a player who was on his way to another MVP this season and if they can have him uh healthy in the playoffs or healthy enough they want to have a group around them that gives them a chance right they want to be able to maximize if and when Joel embiid returns to the floor W thank you so very much I want to bring it back in studio here Brian what does it tell you that the 76ers are planning to be buyers at the trade dead people may not consider that a w bomb but that's one of the most important pieces of information that we've had so far in this trade deadline that the Sixers are going to be aggressive still after this embiid surgery uh so in addition to backup centers look for them to potentially try to get another guard they're they're very thin behind Maxi and they're going to need some more support from that perimeter position and look look darl m is a man with a plan he always knows that he's going to you know what his options are so I would look for them to try to to find Hedge trades where they can acquire players who can help them now but do not have a lot left on their contracts so that no matter what happens with mber this season they can still retain their the majority of their salary cap space this summer where they can maybe plan more for the future you hear that pay attention to the fact that the 76ers are buyers at the trade deadline it's a covert woe bomb there as Wendy pointed out but with all the success right that the Philadelphia 76ers had been having which embiid we were talking about it maybe he could be on his way to another MVP now he is out of contention for that so should we be looking to a team like I don't know the Clippers and I don't know maybe kawh Leonard who's only just moved up to sixth in the MVP odds here why Richard isn't Kawai getting a little bit more attention in the MVP race well I I think partly because he is not given the sole credit I said uh in the um you did the yeah I got I I truly believe it's because Kawai is not given all the credit we talked so much about James Harden when he showed up we talked so much about James Harden play Kawai has been outstanding to me first team all NBA has been one of the best five player best five players in the league in my opinion especially after you know I was it December 1st they have the best record yeah so I say that to say he is been impressive but James Harden has been the engine the system if you will we remember when he was talking about that we all remember so I just I just feel like that's why he's Notting but if he continues playing like this and the Clippers continue playing like this his name is going to shoot up that list so fast if they finish one or two his name is going to be to I want to go on the record saying I'm I'm pushing it up there now right now Mark it February 6th I'm pushing it up there yeah I think Richard nailed on the head he's been tremendous uh and I think a lot of times you look at a team with that much star power and it gets a little bit diluted in terms of attention towards one guy some of these other guys have so much responsibility another team you talk about Jolan beid yic they get the ball at every single Play Rather where the Clippers are playing with a guy like James Harden they're playing with guys like Russell Westbrook who's still coming off the bench Paul George obviously even Norman pal they got a variety of scores over there in that locker room so I think it sometimes the attention comes away from him I don't know why his name's not in there but it needs to be he's a two-way player especially in crunch time uh and we saw last year even in those two games he played against KD he was a he was the best player in both those games guys and yeah they they just had a Miami Atlanta backto back a Miami Atlanta back toback sort of famous in NBA circles for what happens on those back Tob backs at the end of a seven game Road Trip Kawai played 37 minutes Paul George played over 30 minutes James Harden played over 30 minutes the Hawks had won four games in a row were better arrested they went toe-to-toe with them kawh scored 13 in the fourth quarter had 37 for the game go six and one on the road trip hey if if if this is all everyone's ever wanted from him I this yes I I agree but how about Jason Tatum Jason Tatum has been been at at top one two and three in team wins and he never really got up to that space for the exact same reason that kawhai yes go ahead if kawhai wins an MVP do you put him ahead of KD I just want to I just want to ask that in what no in all time no he's won championships by himself all defensive teams no uh now an MVP each of them have one no no it's not even a conversation so much respect for KD I it's i' have to think about it Austin I'm not ready to answer it to be I'm not saying I do either I'm just saying well if you win an MVP if you win a championship your name starts going up and there's going to be names that you start to pass on that list but the same reason why Kawai isn't getting all the credit for the success and we know why same reason why Jason Tatum doesn't get all the credit the same way a yic or a Giannis or an embiid does for the success on their team because they are not the sole has more Tatum has more the Clippers are one of the deepest teams right nowers and Boston are very Sim sharing the ball and they're playing and rebounding I mean to me it's almost s them to just say that just a kawhai MVP discussion but there's a reason why it's working because Kawai is leading it Paul George is playing at an incredible level kawhai Leonard has been amazing and available and healthy and that has been the key for them you see Russell Westbrook buying into his role you see James Harden buying into his role this is a team that aside from health and maybe the Denver Nuggets I'm not sure what else can stop [Music] them

Channel: ESPN

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Keywords: Adrian Wojnarowski, Brian Windhorst, Richard Jefferson, Austin Rivers, Malika Andrews, NBA Today, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Joel Embiid's injury, Philadelphia 76ers, Kawhi Leonard mvp, Los Angeles Clippers, LeBron postgame, LeBron, Lakers, Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, MVP, woj, nba, adrian wojnarowski nba, adrian wojnarowski espn, nba on espn, los angeles lakers, lebron, lakers, lebron james lakers, lebron james interview, joel embiid, philadelphia 76ers, joel embiid injury

Id: zZsLU_DcZ90

Length: 12min 41sec (761 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 06 2024