Saying a lot without directly naming names, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss took to Twitter Sunday night to post a rather cryptic tweet that was seemingly about Kobe Bryant but may have been a veiled shot at someone on the roster.
“I miss KB,” Buss wrote, in reference to the late Lakers great. “He would understand and explain everything that I’m not allowed to,” she continued. “Honestly he was the greatest Laker ever. He understood team over self. Meaning your rewards would come if you valued team goals over your own then everything would fall into place. All can reply.”
It's unclear exactly who Buss is looking for a response from but some believe it was a slight at LeBron James, who is a free agent next year. Others think the tweet was directed at Russell Westbrook, who is the highest-paid player on the roster but has continually failed to find his jumper heading into his 14th season in the NBA.
However, this tweet could simply be the Lakers owner reminiscing about her late best friend who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in January of 2020. Some also believe the tweet was aimed at Kyrie Irving who has been rumored to be interesting in heading to L.A.
On an episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, FOX Sports' Ric Bucher agrees that the Lakers owners' tweet is her trying to set the table for Irving to join the team.
“Those around the Lakers that I know believe this is setting the table for Kyrie Irving on the Lakers,” Bucher said. “You are the leader of this franchise, don’t give anyone the impression that there is anything you can’t solve and wish Kobe was here to solve.”
Whatever the meaning of Buss' tweet, this is a very important period for the Lakers. So far, they've only acquired young role players and have yet to land any big fish that can change the course of their franchise.
The franchise reportedly engaged the Nets in a trade centered around Westbrook for Irving, however, a new report claims both teams have "no traction" on a trade deal.
Even though Irving would certainly be an upgrade for Westbrook, there will always be questions on whether he will be available game to game as well as his locker room conduct, which has been well documented in Boston or Brooklyn.
While we try to decipher what Buss was trying to say in her tweet, she has made it very clear that she's growing impatient and wants to win now.
"I'm growing impatient just because we had the fourth-highest payroll in the league," Buss said in an interview following the conclusion of last season. "When you spend that kind of money on the luxury tax, you expect to go deep into the playoffs. So, yeah, it was gut-wrenching for me to go out on a limb like that and not get the results that we were looking for. I'm not happy, I'm not satisfied."
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