Rondo: Young Lakers felt rejected by LeBron amid Davis trade rumors
Several members of a young Los Angeles Lakers roster were apparently rattled when their names were mentioned in trade rumors for All-Star big man Anthony Davis ahead of this past season's trade deadline.
Their anxiety was only heightened by the praises franchise cornerstone and leader LeBron James sang regarding his fellow Klutch Sports Group client.
Veteran Lakers guard Rajon Rondo believes his budding Lakers teammates were greatly impacted by James' swooning over Davis since it was their names surfacing in potential deals for the New Orleans Pelicans superstar.
"Every guy on our team, LeBron was their favorite player growing up," Rondo told Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher. "Everyone had the shoes, his jersey. You're the biggest fan in the world. It's like you're playing with MJ, and then you get there, and it's like your mom and dad, or the person that you looked up to and idolized, doesn't want you.
"And then to have that sitting in your gut, not knowing. Guys aren't at the age where they can have a man-to-man conversation versus texting you. Everybody wants to text you: 'How you doing? We cool?' People don't understand how to have a real conversation and talk out problems."
The Lakers ultimately failed to land Davis as the Pelicans refused to lower their trade demands.
But a level of uneasiness lingered even after the deadline passed, Rondo revealed, citing a conversation he had with one of the team's veteran players while sitting on the bench during a game on Feb. 12.
"The guy was cussing and talking bad about the situation during the game. I was like: 'Snap out of it. That shit is over with. We'll get through it. As vets, we have to move forward and not focus on what the young guys are focusing on. Set an example,'" recalled the 33-year-old. "It was a little crazy to see a vet distraught over that.
"Me, I'm kind of numb to it. I was in trade rumors every year in Boston. Eight straight years. You can't really relate to it until you've gone through it."
The Lakers ended the campaign with a 37-45 record after James missed 18 of 19 games from Dec. 27 through Feb. 2 with a groin injury.