Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been ruled out for Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
James, who turns 40 later this month, did not travel with the team to Minnesota and missed last Sunday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers with a sore foot.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick said this week that James “is taking some time” from practice after the team was given extra rest days due to their failure to advance to the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Should James return Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies, he will have had eight days in between games.
Redick added on Wednesday that the excused absence for James is due to “personal reasons.” No other details have been released.
Redick said before Sunday’s Trail Blazers game that time off for James this week “could be really good for him.” After the game, he encouraged all Lakers players to make the most of the extended early season break.
“Heck, if somebody wants to go spend a couple of nights in Santa Barbara and relax, that’s fine too,” Redick said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “It’s a quarter way through the season.”
This season, James has averaged 23 points, 9.1 assists and eight rebounds per game and remains one of the league’s most dominant forces. He’s also showed signs of wear, including a 10-point effort in a loss to the Timberwolves on Dec. 2 that threatened to snap a streak of 1,242 consecutive games scoring in double figures.
The Lakers (13-11) also stumbled into the NBA Cup break with seven losses in 10 games, including a 134-93 defeat to the Heat on Dec. 4. If there are opportunities for James to take a step back within the confines of NBA rules, it makes sense for him and the Lakers to take advantage.
“In game, he’s asked for a sub a couple times because he’s gassed,” Redick said, per McMenamin. “For us, we have to be cognizant as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and Sunday, being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest.”
While it might just be needed rest, the absence of James has sparked rumors that the four-time NBA MVP and NBA champion might be traded.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that James’ name has popped up in talk around the league. The Golden State Warriors had inquired about pairing James with Stephen Curry ahead of last season’s trade deadline, but were shot down by both James and the Lakers.
James has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he is able to control his destination should he be open to moving on from Los Angeles.
