Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is fed up with the team’s woes in recent weeks.
So much so that Redick called out the lineup after their Christmas loss to Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. This decision by Redick has led to some uncomfortable conversations about where the Lakers should go from here. Los Angeles takes on the Sacramento Kings (7-23) on Sunday, which gives it an opportunity to bounce back.
Still, an NBA champion believes one of their stars could see a change of scenery quite soon.
Lakers Predicted To Cut Ties With LeBron James
Following the Lakers’ loss to the Rockets, NBA champion Kendrick Perkins broke down the cause of L.A.’s struggles and believes LeBron James should be moved as a result.
“That’s a reflection on you as a head coach. That means you don’t have the ears of that locker room. That means you don’t have the attention of that locker room, and that’s a problem. It’s a message from you that’s not getting delivered, but here’s the bigger thing,” Perkins said on First Take. “He wasn’t having these conversations earlier in the season when LeBron James was out, he’s having those conversations now.”
James has appeared in 13 games for the Lakers this season, where he’s averaged 20.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.1 rebounds on 40% shooting and 31.1% shooting from three-point range. The issue with attempting to trade the 21-time All-Star is he is in the final year of a lucrative contract and has a no-trade clause.
The odds of James suiting up for another team in the 2025-2026 campaign are slim despite the possibility of it benefiting the Lakers.
Perkins continued, “I was a teammate of LeBron James, grew up playing against him. I know this man. When he’s not engaged or he feels some type of way, it speaks in his body language. I just think, to this point, LeBron and the Lakers, their relationship has run its course, and they need to figure out a solution, and the solution is not him being in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform.”
If the Lakers are able to work out a trade involving James, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and New York Knicks are a few of the most likely destinations.
