West Notes: Lakers, LeBron James, Spurs, Jazz

Lakers

LeBron James didn’t come out and say it, but he hinted in an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic that the Lakers need to work harder at upgrading the roster.

If that includes moving their next two trade-eligible first-round picks (2027 and ’29), well, then perhaps so be it.

As Amick noted, James didn’t offer any suggestions, saying he will let the front office do its job and the media come up with its own trade scenarios.

“If you guys know, then you guys know,” James said after Amick asked if it makes sense for the Lakers to stay the course until the offseason. “You guys know. I don’t need to talk about it. You guys know.”

James and the Lakers have had another uneven season as he makes a run toward overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. James should break the record, but that may be the only thing of note for the Lakers in 2022-23.

It’s hard to know if there’s a move out there to be made — even if they would include the next two first-rounders. Some rival GMs have told Hoop Wire those picks don’t really move the needle.

“I don’t even know if I’ll be (the GM) here in 2027,” one said in an email.

Nonetheless, James clearly is hoping Lakers GM Rob Pelinka does something.

“Listen, you guys know. It’s not rocket science,” James said, via Amick. “Y’all know what the f–k should be happening. I don’t need to talk.”

• For the record, the Lakers are 5-0 since James turned 38 years old on Dec. 31. All of those games have come without Anthony Davis. One came without James.
• The Lakers recently worked out veteran center Cody Zeller, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line. They also are bringing in free agent center DeMarcus Cousins for a workout, as we relayed here.

Spurs

• Several days after waiving center Gorgui Dieng, the Spurs are bringing him back on a 10-day contract, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
• Dieng was waived as part of the trade with the Celtics for center Noah Vonleh, who was also waived. Interestingly, Dieng’s salary was already guaranteed. So a 10-day contract will serve as sort of a bonus.

Jazz

• Contract extension talks between the Jazz and guard Jordan Clarkson are still in the “routine stage,” per Tony Jones of The Athletic. The sides have until April to reach an agreement, Jones added.