Even with the addition of Luka Doncic last season, most people agree that the Los Angeles Lakers are still LeBron James’ team.
And he is currently a bit frustrated with his team, according to new inside reporting.
Anthony Irwin says that James has been unhappy with some of his team’s choices since the Russell Westbrook saga a few seasons ago.
“On LeBron James’ side, there is real frustration over the Lakers’ lack of direction since the Russell Westbrook trade. The whole thing has become pretty awkward, and yet the reality is they’re both better off with each other. There is no trade the Lakers would make that would give James a better chance at a title than he has playing with Doncic,” Irwin said, per NBACentral.
LeBron James has reportedly been frustrated with the Lakers’ lack of direction since the Russell Westbrook trade, per @AnthonyIrwinLA
“On LeBron James’ side, there is real frustration over the Lakers’ lack of direction since the Russell Westbrook trade. The whole thing has… pic.twitter.com/oS9ENXqpSW
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 16, 2025
Now that it’s firmly in the rearview mirror, most people can agree that acquiring Westbrook was not the right move for the Lakers.
It seemed like he was going to be a great addition to the team, but he ended up never fitting in, and the squad was completely disjointed during his time there.
On top of their on-court performance, the Lakers were put into a hole because of the Westbrook trade, losing many of their assets in order to get him.
Since then, the Lakers have had a lot of ups and downs.
Of course, the biggest “up” was when Doncic came to the team last season.
It was a major moment for the franchise’s history, but many people argue that it fell into their lap because of the Dallas Mavericks’ desire to lose Doncic.
Plus, the team lost Anthony Davis in that trade, and that hurt their chances of any postseason success.
They recently got Deandre Ayton, and people hope he will give the Lakers much-needed support on the frontcourt.
James only has a limited time left in the league, and he wants to see something substantial from his team’s front office.
As noted by Irwin, both sides need each other, but they also want to be happy.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Harsh Truth About LeBron James This Season
