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Celebrities At The Los Angeles Lakers Game

Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty

Now that the Los Angeles Lakers’ season is over save for Tuesday’s finale against the Portland Trail Blazers, we’ve gotten a handful of pieces trying to figure out what went wrong during LeBron James’ first year out west. There have been a number of moments that have been identified as major points of conflict along the long and winding road, and it seems like none have been bigger than the Lakers’ pursuit of Anthony Davis before the trade deadline.

Davis wanted out, and all signs pointed to Los Angeles doing everything it could — save for putting James in a trade — to acquire him. This included leaks regarding the team’s willingness to part with all of its young players to make a deal happen, which didn’t work.

What it did lead to, though, was a reported rift between James and the Lakers’ young players, who lost their trust in the former league MVP. This comes via Bill Oram of The Athletic’s deep dive into the myriad of issues in Laker Land this season.

Via The Athletic:

The Lakers’ reported trade talks loomed over the team roster. Virtually every member of the young core had been linked to a trade for Davis, as had veterans Rondo and Beasley.

A schism developed in the locker room. Sources around the team said it was apparent that the young players no longer trusted James, believing he was operating behind the scenes to get them traded to New Orleans.

 

READ MORE: Uproxx.com

Article Courtesy of Uproxx

First and Second Picture Courtesy of Allen Berezovsky and Getty Images

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