Los Angeles Lakers veteran center Tyson Chandler admitted that his young teammates were affected by the trade rumors that surrounded the team earlier in the season.
Chandler was asked about what went wrong for the Lakers this season. Los Angeles looked poised to make the playoffs earlier in the season, but they went on a downward spiral. It started when LeBron James got injured and got worst when trade rumors started to swirl around the deadline.
According to Harrison Faigen of SB Nation, Chandler admitted that the trade rumors took a toll mentally on their young players. He added that he was once affected by trade rumors at some point of his career but eventually got used to it. However, he insisted that his young teammates had a difficult time dealing with it.
“It takes a toll mentally, but it's a part of our business, so it's gonna happen, no matter where you're at,” Chandler said of traded rumors. “For us, it just so happened to be this year with young players. It took a bit of a toll.”
Lakers young players Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart were all mentioned as possible trade pieces when the Lakers were negotiating for a trade for Anthony Davis. However, no deal was finalized, and all four remained with the Lakers. Ivica Zubac was also mentioned in rumors before he was eventually dealt to the Clippers.
The Lakers ended the season with a 37-45 record, which is only good for 10th place in the Western Conference. Before their season finale on Tuesday, Magic Johnson stepped down as team president, which raised more questions about the stability of the franchise moving forward.
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