Is LeBron James Signaling to Rob Pelinka He Wants to Retire a Laker? Plus, Rui Hachimura's Fit So Far.

The Lakers take on Indiana tonight, looking to win a second straight game and set the table for a 3-2 finish to the road trip that started with so much frustration in Boston. But while there's plenty of focus on the team's record, there's also a lot of attention on the team's star. LeBron James is about a week away from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. And he's going to push way past the Cap, because James noted following Tuesday's win that he plans to play for a few more years.

Over the course of the season, James has made it clear he's in no hurry to retire, and still believes he can play at a very high level (demonstrating that on the floor, too). He's also clarified his position on playing with his son. LeBron doesn't need to be teammates with Bronny, just share a professional court with him at some point, should fortune smile on the younger James and get him to the NBA.

He's also made it pretty clear he loves LA, his family loves LA, he has zero desire to be away from his family for full seasons at a time, and that he's not going to uproot his family again. So you put that all together, and while he's not saying "I'm not going anywhere, and will retire in LA," he's sending strong signals he's open to the idea.

So what does that mean for the trade deadline? Should the Lakers be in an aggressive stance as it creeps closer? Is there an aggressive stance to even take, given how little seems to be out there right now? Would a minor trade, for someone like San Antonio wing Josh Richardson make sense? Could a move like that have more impact for the Lakers than the talent level of Richardson would suggest?

The early success of Rui Hachimura provides some clues. Hachimura hasn't just played pretty well, providing some solid moments on both sides of the ball, he's helped give the Lakers more optionality, and the potential to avoid really bad mismatches. Richardson, a legit 6'6", could do similar things for Darvin Ham's rotation. So will they make a deal like this one?

Meanwhile, Wednesday marked the anniversary of the Pau Gasol-to-LA swap with Memphis. Fair to say the deal benefitted both sides. And it really benefitted Kobe Bryant, who found a wingman who was perfectly suited to play with him.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Is LeBron James trying to make Rob Pelinka feel safe to make some moves?

SEGMENT 2: Would Josh Richardson help the Lakers?

SEGMENT 3: How's Rui doing?

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