After multiple attempts from LeBron James’ agent to undermine the franchise, has the front office of Jeanie Buss seemingly made a decision? The historic 23rd season did not begin on the right note. No celebrations when he opted into his contract, and then a sciatica injury delayed his season debut. While recently, the Lakers celebrated the 41-year-old with a unique honor, a Pacers legend is not convinced of the plan.

Topps, the $31 billion worth trading card giant, announced James is going to wear a special-edition 23rd season jersey patch. The patches will then be removed after each game and used in some ultra-rare trading cards by Topps. Every franchise has the final say in what the players endorse. Speaking about this, Reggie Miller on the Dan Patrick show called it odd.

“I have no idea. That’s odd. I mean, maybe it’s a pat on the back. Or maybe they’re signifying this is it, King!” The reasoning is simple. “The way he plays again, he’s not the same LeBron that we’ve seen four years ago, eight years ago, 10 years ago. I get that. But he is still a top 30 player, perhaps. He can still help your team win. He’s just not the unquestioned number one or maybe number two on that team if Austin Reaves is healthy.”

LeBron James has missed 17 games this season due to muscle issues and right sciatica concerns. To begin the season, he missed 14 games, and Austin Reaves truly took over as the second option on the team. He is averaging a career-best points (26.6), assists (6.3), and rebounds (5.2). On the other hand, LeBron has received criticism from the fans for his lack of effort when he is on the court.

In the 124-112 loss to the Kings, one instance got called out when JJ Redick was trying to rally the team during the timeout. King James was nowhere near the discussion, as the 41-year-old was sitting far away. Throughout this season, his constant lack of defensive effort has been called out multiple times. Reggie Miller thinks the Lakers are promoting the patch signaling an end to LeBron’s time with the Purple and Gold.

Lakers insider spills the beans on LeBron James’ mood

According to Lakers insider Andy Kamenetzky, the Akron Hammer is “disengaged” from the Lakers. “It’s not anything in terms of like a big stink or like a big drama created. But it’s things that add up,” Kamenetzky said on Locked on Lakers two weeks ago. Even Jovan Buha pointed out how unusually reserved the 21x All-Star appeared. For a player known for constant leadership and on-court direction, James mostly observed without stepping in.

His agent, Rich Paul’s constant concerns about the Lakers’ roster and doubts their competitive strength point to a dissatisfied LeBron James. Paul said, “I personally don’t think the Lakers are good enough to be contenders right now. I don’t think they have enough to get to the WCF.” Naturally, the fans questioned if those were LeBron James‘ feelings.

That tension between the front office and James has been building up since the offseason. For most of his tenure in the league, it is LeBron James who advised and suggested players to the front office. But this year, it was Luka Doncic who assisted in convincing Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton to join the Lakers. Will that discontent between King James and the franchise be solved with a trade?

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