Did LeBron James send a message to Rob Pelinka and mask it as Aaron Rodgers analysis?

LeBron James is one of the most efficient players in the history of basketball. Hell, he probably ranks up there with the most efficient athletes in their sport ever. All that said, what he does on the court pales in comparison to his ability to send a message to his various front offices.

His latest cruiser missile: A bit of analysis on Aaron Rodgers and how the Packers don’t ever seem willing to surround him with proper skill position players, as he explained on a “The Shop,” Thursday Nighy Football collaboration. See if you notice any potential similarities between Rodgers’ and his situations.

“When you’ve got a transcendent, franchise player like Aaron Rodgers. A quarterback, obviously we know that the quarterback position in the NFL, besides if have like a monster defensive end or d-tackle like obviously Aaron Donald. That’s the most important position in the NFL. Why wouldn’t you surround that, when you’ve got the picks, to maximize what he can do?”

Off camera, Paul Rivera asked if he was still talking about football. James said he was, but did add that it did translate to basketball.

Of course it does!

Here’s the full clip:

Let’s just say this is indeed the latest LeSubtweet. Do you blame him? Can anyone?

Last year at the deadline, the message was just to wait until the offseason when the Lakers will have another pick to work with to maximize the return in a Russell Westbrook trade.

Before the season, it was, “well, wait 20 games so maybe the market can open up.”

Now, apparently, in part because of how slowly they have started, the Lakers might wait until draft night after this season when they could potentially move three picks in a deal (but obviously wouldn’t have Westbrook’s contract to match incoming money).

The Lakers currently sit at 3-10 with seven more games until the 20-game mark where Pelinka and the rest of the front office will reportedly feel more comfortable making a decision one way or the other. If they don’t win most of those games through the end of the month — which feature a game against Detroit, three against San Antonio and one against Indiana — the season would effectively be over and the backwards approach to the offseason and over-patience this season will have cost them two prime James seasons.

This should go without saying but this, combined with losing two straight lottery picks they thought would fall way later in the draft (one potentially netting Victor Wembanyama), would be objectively disastrous.

So yeah, subtweet away, LeBron. Honestly? Ramp it up. Get increasingly ridiculous. Rock Les Snead’s t-shirt. Play The Beatles’ Help! at your locker whenever Pelinka is around. Leave the trade machine open at your laptop and “forget” on Jeanie Buss’ desk with a few of your favorite trade options displayed not just on that screen but hers. Hold your next presser wearing a Hield/Turner Lakers jersey. Let’s really pour some gas on this fire.

This week on “The Hook,” I spoke about this with Aaron Larsuel, as well as our approaches to gift wrapping, how confident we feel about these next seven Lakers games and more.

You can listen to all that and more on our latest episode in the player embedded below, and to make sure you don’t miss a single one moving forward, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.

And for a short-form recap pod, check out Lakers Lowdown, in which Anthony Irwin recaps the previous day’s news and gets you ready for the day ahead in LakerLand, every weekday morning on the Silver Screen & Roll Podcast feed.