LeBron James Says 'I'm Tired As Hell' After Lakers' Loss vs. Trail Blazers

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James struck an exasperated tone following Wednesday's 107-105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

"I’m tired as hell right now," James told reporters.

The four-time MVP explained how the grind of the regular season is made worse when your team is falling short of expectations.

The Lakers are 3-7 over their last 10 games and sit ninth in the Western Conference at 26-30.

This is another case of James offering some blunt honesty amid Los Angeles' on-court struggles. He said the Lakers aren't on the level of the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks and may not be able to get there after a 131-116 defeat Tuesday.

Having its best player vent his public frustration can sometimes galvanize a team for the stretch run.

The Lakers' problem is that it's difficult to see any path forward—at least one in which they become a genuine title contender.

The Athletic's Bill Oram and ESPN's Dave McMenamin filed similar reports Wednesday, laying out how the organization has come to the conclusion something needs to change.

Oram went so far as to report the Lakers "no longer believe they can win at a high level" with Russell Westbrook as the third star alongside James and Anthony Davis. McMenamin didn't single out Westbrook but reported broad "suspicion had been mounting for weeks, if not months, for a Lakers team built with a title in mind."

Pivoting off Westbrook isn't easy when he counts for $44.2 million this season and has a $47.1 million player option for 2022-23.

Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus reported the 2016-17 MVP is unlikely to be moved before the trade deadline but that Los Angeles might sign off on a deal if James makes a preference for John Wall clear.

"The Rockets are open to making a deal, but only if the Lakers are willing to pay to play," Pincus wrote. "But top Lakers executive Rob Pelinka may be hesitant to acknowledge the Westbrook move was a failure, let alone give up the team's sparse assets to make him go away."

Assuming the status quo remains the same, the Lakers are likely to remain mired in their current funk, at which point LeBron may continue evolving into Roger Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon and get progressively too old for this.