Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been ruled out of 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 leg.
Asked before Friday’s game if he knew when James would return, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said, “No.” Earlier this week, Redick said James was “taking some time off” from practice after the team was given extra days off due to not advancing to the NBA Cup quarterfinals. If James returns Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies, he will have eight days between games.
Redick added on Wednesday that James’ excused absence is for “personal reasons.” No further details have been released.
The coach said before the Trail Blazers’ game on Sunday that James’ time off 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.
“Hell, 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 of the way through the season.
James is averaging 23 points, 9.1 assists and 8 rebounds this season and remains one of the league’s most dominant forces. He also showed signs of wear and tear, including a 10-point effort in a Dec. 2 loss to the Timberwolves that threatened to end his streak of 1,242 consecutive games in double figures.
The Lakers (13-11) also stumbled into the NBA Cup break with seven losses in 10 games, including a 134-93 loss to the Heat on Dec. 4. NBA rules, it makes sense for him and the Lakers to take advantage of this.
“He asked him for a sub a few times in the game because he was gassed,” Redick said, according to McMenamin. “For us, we have to be aware as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and Sunday when he was kicked, it was a good opportunity for him to rest. .”
While it may just be a needed rest, James’ absence has sparked rumors that the four-time NBA MVP and NBA champion could be traded.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that James’ name has come up in discussions around the league. The Golden State Warriors inquired about pairing James with Stephen Curry before the trade deadline last season, 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 willing to make the switch from Los Angeles.