Lakers’ LeBron James cheekily takes credit for Warriors adding All-NBA talent after Jimmy Butler trade

LA Lakers guard LeBron James has never shied away from speaking his mind. In an interview after the Lakers' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, he jokingly took credit for the Warriors' decision to add an All-NBA star to their roster.

LeBron James asserted that the Warriors have historically responded to his strength by boosting their roster. These comments come after the Warriors traded for six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat.

I've been a part of them making big acquisitions to change the dynamic of their team before. ... They always add somebody that [changes] the dynamic.

While LeBron James may have said this jokingly, history begs to differ. After the Warriors lost Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 19, Kevin Durant was brought in on July 4.

Durant himself once admitted that had the Warriors not lost to James and the Cavaliers, he probably wouldn't have signed. The Warriors signing Durant proved to be a masterstroke, winning them two more titles in succession, 2017 and 2018.

The signing of Jimmy Butler bears an identical resemblance. Both moves were made to strengthen the roster and provide Steph Curry with a strong supporting cast, which has been evident in the Dubs' performances since the trade.

The Warriors have gone from Play-In contenders to the fifth seed in the Western Conference. They are now 20-4 since Butler joined, including the 123-116 win over the Lakers on Thursday night.

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LeBron James opens up after Lakers' home loss to the Warriors

LeBron James put on his best game since returning from injury, but it was not enough to lead the Lakers to a win against the Warriors.

He shared his thoughts after the game:

“It’s always a challenge when you play Golden State,” James said. “It’s been like that for over a decade. … They will try to keep you off-balance all game and you have to try and figure it out and we did. Offensively we were really good, especially in the second half.”

He ended the game with 33 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Warriors' Curry added the game-high 33 points, alongside three rebounds and six assists.

The Lakers (46-30) are fourth in the West. With six games left in the regular season, the Lakers will be aiming to finish high and avoid the traditional big teams come the playoffs.