Plenty of important decisions loom this summer for the Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron James as arguably their most more important. He will be heavily coveted as a free agent, but a return to the Lakers also seems to make sense for both parties if they can find a numer that works.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a team that could certainly lure James away from the Lakers and franchise legend Magic Johnson is among those who can see another potential reunion in Ohio. However, Johnson thinks both James and the Lakers need to decide on their partnership sooner rather than later.
“Well, that’s not a bad place [Cleveland], they’re already set up to win and you put LeBron in that lineup, that’s a really good lineup and a chance to really do something in the East,” Johnson said on ESPN’s Get Up. “But we don’t know what LeBron wants to do and we don’t know what the Lakers want to do. Mark Walter, the new owner, has to make that call, that decision and they got to make it soon. Because the draft is coming, free agency is coming. So, ‘Hey LeBron, what do you want to do? Hey Mark Walter, what do you want?’ And they got to make that [decision] to me before the draft and before free agency.”
Johnson makes a fair point that the Lakers cannot afford to wait around for James to decide whether to remain with the team, retire, or go elsewhere. If they choose to do so, they risk losing free agents and trade targets to improve their roster around Luka Doncic.
To James’ defense, he is entitled to take however long he wants to decide what’s next in his career. Presumably, he would like to see what general manager Rob Pelinka and company can do to improve and give themselves a fighter’s chance at contending in a loaded Western Conference.
Los Angeles likely will not close the gap between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in one offseason, barring an unforeseen trade. But Pelinka needs to take a considerable step in fostering a contender this summer to show there is a plan in place to have a championship-caliber roster around Doncic.
LeBron James dismisses hobby as sign of retirement being near
James values his time during the summer to recover and take a step away from playing basketball. Following the conclusion of the Lakers’ season, James has posted on social media showing him being out on the fairways working on his golf game.
Despite finding a new love when it comes to being out on the green, James dismissed the notion of him playing golf as a sign of potential retirement.
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