LeBron James may have spent the chance to land Andrew Wiggins at La Lakers for what he did 10 years ago.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had a great offseason and are tackling some key weaknesses on the roster.
After the Lakers lost Dorian Finney Smith in free agency, reinforcements, particularly for the wing defenders, were quickly needed.
As a result, the Lakers attempted to land DeAndre Ayton and Jake Laravia to improve their depth. Plus, they were able to bring Marcus Smart to the Lakers thanks to Luka Donsic.
But the Lakers have their eyes on Andrew Wiggins, so they don’t want to stop there. Unfortunately for them, a decision from LeBron James years ago may have cost them a chance.
An anonymous NBA executive told the Lakers that Andrew Wiggins’ trade was highly unlikely for La Lakers.
In particular, the executive said he had a grudge against LeBron James by leaving the Miami Heat and did not want to help him by trading key players for his team.
“If Pat makes this deal, he’ll be stunned. I think Pat wants to help LeBron (James)? He’s still mad at LeBron leaving Miami.
LeBron left the heat after falling with Riley and returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Given how much he struggled after LeBron’s departure, it’s no surprise that Riley holds grumi.
In yet another example of Pat Riley making his pride and personal feelings interfere with how he runs the heat of Miami, Andrew Wiggins continues to be in place for now.
Aside from his rage, Riley and The Heat are holding Wiggins and want to see what value they can bring through trade.
This is the same mistake Riley made with Jimmy Butler last season. The heat was too long and I swapped the Butler, and in return it became less valuable to him.
At this point, the fever should be considered reducing Riley’s control over the franchise.