With the NBA trade deadline coming up, much of the discussion surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers has been about potential deals the team can make to improve the roster this season. But the franchise also has some major decisions to make in the offseason, and the most important of those involves LeBron James.
LeBron is an unrestricted free agent this summer and, should he want to continue playing beyond his 23rd NBA season, will be free to go wherever he chooses, or he could stay with the Lakers. But that latter option is seeming more and more unlikely.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report both the Lakers and James himself are ready to move on from each other this offseason:
“Definitively, the Lakers are ready to move on from LeBron James and I think LeBron James is ready to move on from the Lakers as well. That’s kind of the foregone sentiment in Los Angeles right now about what’s to come this summer.”
The partnership between James and the Lakers has been a beneficial one for both sides. LeBron helped pull the Lakers back from the roughest stretch in franchise history and brought home another championship while having a number of historical moments in the purple and gold, including becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
The Lakers brand has also been helpful for LeBron, giving him an even bigger platform to shine than he has ever had, while also being able to raise his family in the city of Los Angeles. But recently it does feel like cracks have begun to show and it may very well be time for the two sides to part ways.
Most notable was the report that Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss had grown tired of James and even considered trading him in 2022. And while neither Buss nor LeBron gave any credence to the report and brushed it off, it wasn’t nothing.
Additionally, the Lakers have clearly moved on to building their team around Luka Doncic, and with Austin Reaves also hitting free agency this offseason, the franchise has to move forward in their plans to make this team a championship contender in the post-LeBron era. And that could very well begin next season.
Lakers’ LeBron James blessed to be named an All-Star for 22nd time
One thing that is for sure is that LeBron James remains one of the best players in the NBA and he was recently named an All-Star for the 22nd time in his career, extending an NBA record. And the Lakers superstar says he was blessed at the honor.
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