LOS ANGELES—Responding to a tumultuous trade deadline that saw most of the roster floated for potential deals, LeBron James and his Lakers teammates confirmed Monday that they were hoping this horrible series of failed betrayals would bring them closer as a team. “I’m really trying to stay positive, and I think the fact that I openly tried and failed to push multiple players off this team for Anthony Davis will only make us stronger,” said the four-time NBA MVP, who claimed Lonzo Ball’s father trashing him on national television has only made James respect him more as a teammate. “Sometimes, you just need a cascading series of backstabbing lies, public humiliation, and transparent attempts to replace each other before you realize how great the players around you truly are. I’m sure these young guys feel the same way, and finding out that we don’t want to play with each other at all will take this team to the next level.” At press time, James insisted that the Lakers falling further out of the Western Conference playoff picture would only give them more time to bond this offseason.

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