Jalen Rose thinks LeBron James should ask for a trade if the Lakers don't hire the coach he prefers.
"If they don't hire the person that he would like them to hire ... he should asked to be traded."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 10, 2019
— @JalenRose on LeBron and the Lakers head coaching situation pic.twitter.com/9nCyw8BIJB
MORE: How Lakers lost Lue, extended embarrassing coaching search
"He needs to pick up the cell phone (and) call Jeanie Buss," Rose said Friday on ESPN's Get Up. "If they don't hire the person he would like them to hire to coach the basketball team over the next three years, he should ask to be traded. This has become a mockery."
Lakers fans are planning a protest Friday in response to the chaos surrounding the team and the coaching search drama.
Fans are planning a Lakers protest outside Staples Center 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/J8fgYHUBOw
— Rose 🌹New-Win (@Rosie_Baby926) May 9, 2019
MORE: Lakers coaching search: Who's left with Tyronn Lue out?
Rose said the current state of the franchise is "mind-numbing" to him.
"This level of dysfunction is something I have not seen from this storied franchise," Rose said. "They have not made the playoffs since the late great Dr. Jerry Buss passed away. And now all of the sudden you're searching for a coach, you have a agent superstar in LeBron James, the draft is coming up, you have so many young players that you need to nurture. They need to understand the style of play going into next year — and you don't want to pay Tyronn Lue, a champion, five years to be the coach?
"This guy has won a championship with LeBron James! He has all of the leverage. And he played with the Lakers!"