Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James makes ominous statement about Lakers future

By Sean Keane | Last updated 12/29/22

LeBron James became the first player to average 30+ points as a 37-year-old. He wants more.

In his last game as a 37-year-old, James scored 27 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished six assists. It gave him an average of 30.1 points per game during his birthday year, which almost corresponds to the calendar year - LeBron was born December 30, 1984. That's easily the most of any 37-year-old in history, well above Karl Malone's 23.2 PPG.

But it also came in a loss, as the Lakers fell to 14-21, the worst record for a James team through 35 games since his rookie season. And King James wasn't happy afterward.

LeBron: "I'm a winner, and I want to win. ... Playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball, it's just not in my DNA anymore."
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) December 29, 2022

Some of the blame falls on James, who pushed for the disastrous Russell Westbrook addition last summer and who seems to favor teammates from his good friend Rich Paul's agency, Klutch Sports. The Lakers roster has seven Klutch clients, including James.

But he's been better on offense than any 37-year-old in NBA history. Meanwhile the Lakers went 30-51 while James was 37 years old, and the team's plan seems to depend on luring a near-max free agent to play with James and the perpetually-injured Anthony Davis.

It sounds like James is doubting that plan.

LeBron: “I don’t want to finish my career playing at this level, from a team aspect. I want to still be able to compete for championships because I know what I can still bring to any ballclub with the right pieces.”
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) December 29, 2022

The Lakers can't trade James this year because he signed a contract extension in August. Because his raise was more than five percent of his old salary, James isn't eligible for a trade for six months, which takes him past the NBA trade deadline.

But next summer is a different story. James has one year left on his contract at $46.7 million, plus a $50.4 million player option for 2024-25. If he requested a trade, the Lakers would almost certainly accommodate him, perhaps restocking their bare cupboard of draft picks and young players. James gave them five years and won them a title - it doesn't help either party to have him racking up numbers on a 13th-place team.

It's not new that LeBron is expressing unhappiness and putting pressure on his team through the media. And if Davis can return, this team could still make the play-in.

But winning play-in games isn't the same as competing for championships. We're getting closer to the point where James decides he can no longer do the latter in Los Angeles.

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