LeBron James says inquiries about Lakers roster ahead of trade deadline ‘not a question for me’

With just two days remaining until the NBA’s trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are running out of time to improve their roster. 

The Lakers have hovered around .500 for most of the season, one year after making it to the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

Following LA’s third straight win on Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets, LeBron James was asked whether changes needed to be made to the roster, or whether he thinks the current roster is good enough to compete for a championship. 

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“It’s not a question for me,” James said, according to ESPN. “I love who we have in the locker room. And that’s all I worry about.”

James added: “We’re going to go out and prepare ourselves every single night no matter what it is. No matter who’s out on this team. No matter what.”

Last week, there was speculation on social media that James could be traded as the Lakers continue to hover around .500, and just a few days after James posted a cryptic message to X. 

James, who has a player option for next season, took to X following the Lakers’ second straight loss and posted an hourglass emoji early Wednesday morning. 

Rich Paul, James’ agent, shut down rumors that his client could be traded before the NBA’s trade deadline.

“LeBron won’t be traded, and we aren’t asking to be,” Paul said, according to ESPN.

At 27-25, the Lakers hold a 1.5-game lead over the Utah Jazz for the ninth spot in the Western Conference and are three games out of the sixth spot. 

If the Lakers can secure a top-6 spot in the standings, they will not be forced to play in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament. 

The Lakers next face the Nuggets, the defending NBA champions, on Feb. 8, hours after the trade deadline.