LeBron James endorsed the Lakers' recent pursuit of superstars

In the weeks leading up to the NBA trade deadline, there was a ton of speculation about what the Los Angeles Lakers would do. At first, it sounded like they'd pursue either Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls or Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks. In the end, they didn't sign either of those stars, or anyone else.

But apparently, LeBron James was behind the scenes, instructing the Lakers to work hard to get either of those stars.

According to a new report from The Athletic, James enthusiastically supported the idea of getting LaVine or Murray.

Per The Athletic:

“James was also in support of the Lakers trading for Dejounte Murray or Zach LaVine — two Klutch Sports clients — in the weeks and months leading into the 2024 trade deadline."

This isn't the first time that LeBron has instructed his team to bring more support to the roster. However, it hasn't always worked out. James was reportedly at the center of the trade for Russell Westbrook a few seasons ago. As everyone knows, his entry into the Lakers' lineup never worked out and he was traded just a season-and-a-half later.

James wants a strong ball-handler with him in Los Angeles and he clearly didn't think that D'Angelo Russell wasn't doing a good enough job. However, Russell turned things around over the last month and has been playing some of the best basketball of his career, so perhaps LeBron no longer sees a need for either LaVine or Murray.

The Lakers have been looking better lately, which further proves that the front office was probably right to sit still and not make big changes at the deadline.