LeBron James
I thought we were told by LeBron James that Los Angeles and the Lakers was it. That the “King” would wrap up his career in Los Angeles. That James would play a few games with his son in a Lakers uniform and then bring an amazing career to an end.
Now we are hearing overtures from LeBron that he would think about moving on if it meant he would be on a team that has a legitimate shot at winning a championship.
James and his agent, Rich Paul, created news this week. First, James picked up his $52.6 million player option. He could have done what numerous players in his position do. Take a little less to free the team up to bring in more talent to improve the roster to make a title drive. This is something that James Harden did this week.
Let me take a second to point out the money. An NBA season consists of 82 games. LeBron, due to injuries and rest days, will likely play just over 50 of those games. Simple math tells us that he will make a million dollars every time he takes the court for a 48 minute game.
Okay, back to the story. Paul then came out and said that he and James are evaluating what’s best for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
History tells us that this means that if LeBron and Paul do not like their team’s roster, LeBron walks. He did it in Miami. He did it to Cleveland twice. After seven years, he could do it again in Los Angeles.
A few days later, reports started coming out that there is mutual interest between James and the New York Knicks.
I find it interesting that this is taking place after the Lakers just added one of the best players in the world in Luka Doncic. Would you not think that a team with two of the top ten players in NBA history would be a title contender?
Or perhaps LeBron does not like the idea of the Lakers looking toward the future with a younger star? Perhaps he feels that he has to be the centerpiece of any team he is on?
I have not yet mentioned that the Lakers were just sold out of the Buss family that brought James to LA. What if new ownership believes LeBron muddies Luka’s path. If LeBron does decide it’s in his best interest to move on, the Lakers could extract value from a team via the trade route. The new owners may like the idea of what James would bring them via the trade route.
Maybe LeBron stays, and the Lakers run it back with a patched-up bench. But Rich Paul set the tone. And whether LeBron stays or goes, the Lakers need to make changes to their roster if they want to compete with the likes of OKC, Houston, and Denver in the Western Conference. They built a brand chasing stars. Well, they’ve got two, and no idea what to do with them.
