Rich Paul's denial of LeBron James trade rumors shows us exactly how cooked the Lakers are

The Lakers just don't seem to know what to do anymore

Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve had a fantastic week so far.

I’m almost certain it was probably less chaotic than the Lakers’ week was. Because, whew boy, what a mess it’s been.

LA starts the week off with two back-to-back 16-point losses to the Rockets and Hawks respectively. Then, LeBron James does his passive-aggressive emoji Tweet thing again and the internet explodes. At that point, it’s only Wednesday.

On Thursday, the team gets a good win over the Celtics without James and Anthony Davis playing, but it gets overshadowed by LEBRON JAMES TRADE RUMORS. You cannot make this up.

Rich Paul released a statement on Friday saying the Lakers wouldn’t be trading James (which is so ironic coming from a player agent, btw!) and that James is not actively seeking a trade. So there’s that on that, I guess.

But, wait. Isn’t this kind of weird? Have we ever seen this before?

Sure, people have talked about James being traded before. But that was more media speculation than anything. There was nothing credible that said James would be on the move. And, most importantly, it never felt real.

This current moment we’re in doesn’t feel like it’s real, but it also does feel possible. And, clearly, there’s enough here today for Rich Paul to come out and actively say “Hey, my guy isn’t getting moved.” That speaks volumes to how down the Lakers are right now.

Things are horrendous. The team has floated around at .500 essentially all season. James and Davis have largely been healthy, too — there’s no using that excuse this time. The Lakers just aren’t…very good. And there’s no move out there that might be able to improve this team except for, well, trading one of its two stars.

That’s exactly why Paul felt the need to come out and dispel things this time. Because, for the first time in a long time, LeBron James might not be enough to save his team.

That’s the reality that we’re seeing. It’s what the Lakers — and James, himself, for that matter —  have to live with.

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

All-Star snubs are almost always devastating. But when they’re tied to money? Whew, boy, that has to hurt a little worse.

We can ask Domantas Sabonis about that today. A clause in the King’s big man’s contract would’ve activated giving him a $1.3 million bonus had he made an All-Star team this year. He missed out, meaning he doesn’t get that cash.

Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky with more.

“The three-time All-Star had tough competition to represent the Western Conference. Sabonis ranked top-10 among all frontcourt players in the West when it came to fan voting, player voting, and media voting.

That put him ahead of Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns in weighted rank, but reserves are chosen by the 30 coaches in the NBA. Towns made the team (perhaps surprisingly) while Sabonis was not selected.

But his omission was the most costly among the potential candidates. As noted by ESPN’s Bobby Marks, not making the All-Star Game will cost him a $1.3 million bonus from the Kings.

Sabonis currently ranks fifth-best among all NBA players in win shares, which is an advanced catch-all metric that measures overall value to a team. He trails only MVP frontrunners Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.”

That’s tough. I’ll never wish injury on anyone, but if there’s an injury replacement Sabonis might still be able to get in. But you hate to see him have to rely on someone else’s downfall to get a spot here — especially considering the season he’s had.

Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Nneka Ogwumike might shift the balance of power in the WNBA over the weekend.

After six seasons in Los Angeles, Ogwumike is leaving the Sparks and looking to play for a contender as LA kicks off its rebuild. Some potential powerhouses are in the mix between the Chicago Sky, New York Liberty and Seattle Storm, ESPN reports.

Sources per @espn. pic.twitter.com/ydecqQgdc2

— Chiney Ogwumike (@chiney) February 1, 2024

This decision could shift the balance of power in the WNBA drastically.

— New York is already a superteam with Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu. Adding Ogwumike to this mix along with the elite guard play around them would likely make New York a Finals favorite.

— The Storm would be scary here, too. Seattle has an elite backcourt between Jewell Loyd and the addition of Skylar Diggins-Smith. Adding Ogwumike to that mix is scary for the West.

— The Chicago Sky would have a combo of Kahleah Copper and Ogwumike if she chooses to sign there. Not a Big 3, sure, but still a scary team, certainly.

We don’t know when a decision is coming, but it’ll likely be soon considering how much movement there has already been.

Keep it locked on our WNBA free agency tracker for an update when the moment comes.

Shootaround

— Jalen Brunson holding back tears during MVP chants from the Knicks crowd is the stuff dreams are made of. Bryan has more here.

— Bill Walton hilariously thinks Chewbacca is based on him. No, seriously.

— Here’s Mary Clarke on Joel Embiid falling out of the MVP race because of his meniscus injury.

— Here are 10 potential injury replacements for the All-Star game from Bryan. The East might need a couple.