Report: Trading LeBron James ‘Crossed Jeanie Buss’ Mind’

Jeanie Buss and Magic Johnson did the impossible to sign LeBron James last year, but it seems like they also thought of trading him. ESPN analyst and former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy said that the Lakers consider trading the star player, and that wasn’t the best thing the Lakers can do at the moment.

Ric Bucher reported that the Anthony Davis saga and the leaks from LeBron’s agent Rich Paul got Jeanie Buss so angry that she even thought of trading him.

“Paul denied to B/R that he leaked the Lakers’ interest in Davis, but Buss suspected otherwise and was furious. The idea of terminating the franchise’s relationship with Paul by moving James at least crossed Buss’ mind, the team source said, and Paul was made aware of that,” Bucher wrote.

Jeanie Buss wanted LeBron James on the team

Well, Buss was the one who wanted LeBron on the team and had faith in the team when he was gone.

“I see progress that the team is 25-23 right now and the Western Conference is difficult, and I would never think that being over .500 that you would not be in the playoffs,” Buss said on “The Lowe Post” podcast on ESPN. “I think that Magic [Johnson] has been patient, I think Rob Pelinka has done amazing things in terms of giving our roster flexibility and not just taking a shortcut to try and just make the playoffs only to lose in the first round. They see the picture and they’re taking those steps. They’re not going to take a shortcut to try get quick fix just to make the playoffs and give up any of our assets. 

“That’s what I want to see and I think our fanbase is smart, they love basketball, they understand today’s NBA and they don’t want to take a shortcut either. I’m satisfied where we are and at the start of the season my expectations were to be in the playoffs, but given the injuries, you have to see that compromises you. Those are things that are out of our control. Certainly the team has kept us in there. We’re not buried at the bottom, there’s light. Hopefully we’ll start getting these players back sooner than later.”