The relationship between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers appears to be souring. According to a report from Bill Oram of The Athletic, the veteran superstar and his agent, Rich Paul, are placing pressure on the franchise, and one team source compared the "tense" situation to "the early days of war."
During All-Star weekend, James entertained the possibility of returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers in an interview with The Athletic, and also mentioned that he intends to spend his final season playing alongside his son. The frustration from James' camp is reportedly due to the Lakers' inaction during the Feb. 10 trade deadline, and consequently, general manager Rob Pelinka is now under the microscope. Overall, a complicated dynamic for ownership.
"Give Lebron or anyone on this roster truth serum, I don't think anybody sees this as a roster -- even with the benefit of some help down the stretch -- that is going to able to cobble together an actual title run or a deep playoff run," Oram told the Maggie and Perloff show on Wednesday. "There's potentially an opportunity for Westbrook and LeBron to take one last stab at this and see if it's something they can salvage next year...
"From a results standpoint, this could go a couple of ways. The Lakers could hang out in ninth the rest of the way, get into the play-in, maybe win a play-in. Or, they can bottom out, and once LeBron passes Karl Malone on the all-time scoring list, he might shut it down for the last couple of weeks... I don't know how much incentive LeBron is going to feel to have to go into the play-in as a nine-seed, the only option being getting waxed by Golden State or Phoenix..."
Through 58 games, Los Angeles' season has been a colossal disappointment. With a record of 27-31, the team currently owns ninth place in the West playoff picture, and if the Lakers manage to clinch a play-in spot and advance to the conference quarterfinals, they'll most likely suffer yet another first-round exit.
Although the team is receiving ample production from James -- he's currently averaging 29.1 points, his highest mark since the 2009-10 season -- he won't be able to carry this roster. Los Angeles ranks in the bottom-five in average points allowed, and to make matters worse, superstar forward Anthony Davis is expected to be sidelined weeks with an ankle sprain.
The Lakers will return to action on Friday, in a home matchup against the rival Los Angeles Clippers. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, Los Angeles has just a 20-percent chance to reach the playoffs and less than a 1-percent chance to reach the NBA Finals.
The entire Lakers conversation between Oram and Maggie and Perloff can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.