Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James weighed in on the team’s status ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline.

After the Lakers’ loss to the Knicks on Sunday, James said he is a big fan of the current group, but admitted they need to get better.

“I can only speak to the group that we have here. We’re 29 and 19 right now. We’ve had some really good moments. We have some not-so-good moments,” James said.

“We want to continue to try to build off of that. Me speaking on them, anything other than that is not, it’s not my pay grade.”

“I like this group, but we gotta get better and that’s good. Unfortunately, our All-Star two guard has been out for a minute and that’s a big piece for our team. It’s kind of hard to see what we can really, truly be.”

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Lakers superstar Luka Doncic shared the same sentiment after the game. The 26-year-old superstar stated that he believes the Lakers are in a good spot.

“I think we’re in a good spot,” Doncic said confidently on Sunday night before elaborating. 

“Obviously, got some work to do. But I think today we missed a lot of good looks. I think we have a great group,” Doncic said.

Will the Lakers Make a Trade — or Punt on This Season Altogether?

The Lakers dropped their 19th game of the season. While they sit 10 games above .500, it is clear the Lakers are far from a championship contender this season. A trade is imminent, but it is unclear if a significant move is in the cards for L.A.

Los Angeles does not have any players or draft assets that other teams highly covet. That doesn’t mean a trade isn’t possible, but it could mean a seismic trade that takes L.A. over the top is unlikely. 

Thursday will tell us a lot about how the Lakers brass views this season.

If they make a trade, even one around the margins, they could see this group make a deep playoff run. If they decide to stand pat, they are essentially punting on the season and may look to make a big trade or two in the summer months.

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