LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers weren't able to pull off the upset against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. They did, however, look as cohesive a unit as they have been in a while.
The Lakers star was vocal after the game that getting past the NBA trade deadline has been a weight off the team's shoulders.
“I think because the trade deadline is over, a lot of people got an opportunity to just move on,” said LeBron after the Lakers loss in Golden State. “This is what we have. This is what we're going to be together and now we make a push.”
Chief among the Lakers rumors heading into the trade deadline involved Russell Westbrook. The polarizing point guard was speculated to be part of the discussions that GM Rob Pelinka had with teams around the league. But with the deadline passing and a close to zero chance of him getting bought out, the Lakers are riding tough with Westbrook for the rest of the year.
“We're all grown men. You don't need to come together and talk about it,” James continued on whether the Lakers discussed getting past the trade deadline. “You just know. It affects people in different ways, the deadline. You hear your name talked about in trades. It's human nature to think about it. There's no need to talk about it and it resulted in the way we played today.”
The Lakers are past the point of a major overhaul. It's time for them to make things work with what they have.
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