LeBron James steps away from Lakers amid NBA trade rumours, decline

LeBron James appears to be searching for answers as he steps away from the Lakers amid a worrying decline and swirling trade rumours.

LeBron James appears to be searching for answers as he steps away from the Lakers amid a worrying decline and swirling NBA trade rumours.

“LeBron is not with the team right now,” Redick told reporters at practice.

“He’s out for personal reasons, excused absence.”

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James missed his first game of the season on Monday against the Blazers — a 107-98 victory — after previously setting a goal to play all 82 in his age-40 season.

Redick added that James would “take some time” after struggling mightily in his last few games, including an 0-for-20 stretch from beyond the three-point line.

LeBron James is finally showing signs of age. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

It comes during a lull in the Lakers’ schedule as they have four days between games — thanks to the NBA Cup — with their next matchup coming in Minnesota on Saturday.

It is unclear if James will return for that game.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has also reported the Warriors will “definitely monitor” James’ status as they look for another star to partner with Stephen Curry.

James and Heat superstar Jimmy Butler have been mooted as potential trade targets for Golden State.

With James’ 82-game pipe dream now dead, the Lakers can focus on resting their all-time great forward and deploy him more strategically.

James appeared exhausted of late after playing in all 23 games up to that point, clearly conserving energy and putting in less defensive effort.

The advanced stats show James is slowly starting to show his age and it is trickling into his game.

James’ stats are still excellent, playing 35 minutes per game while scoring 23 points, with eight rebounds and 9.1 assists.

Yet his minus-8.4 net rating is the worst among all Lakers starters and by far the worst figure of his career.

James also has a 12.5 per cent turnover ratio, a career worst.

Perhaps some time off will do everyone some good as the league’s oldest team gets some time to recover, having just passed the quarter mark of the NBA season.

The Lakers had lost seven of their past 10 games after a promising 10-4 start under Redick.

“Heck, if somebody wants to go spend a couple of nights in Santa Barbara and relax, that’s fine too,” Redick said after the Blazers game.

-This story was originally published in The New York Post and reproduced with permission.

Originally published as LeBron James steps away from Lakers amid NBA trade rumours, decline