While things didn’t end how they wanted it to due to injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers saw flashes of what Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James could achieve together. But, unfortunately, they never saw it come together in the postseason and now that trio has come to an end.
Ultimately, James decided after eight seasons in L.A. that it was time for a change of scenery. Rumors flew around about where the four-time champion would land before eventually signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. Before it was announced though, Lakers players internally reportedly thought that the 41-year-old would go to the Golden State Warriors to team up with Stephen Curry, via Dan Woike of The Athletic:
Had the destination been Golden State — the predicted landing spot by plenty inside the Lakers’ locker room — the reasoning would’ve been easy to put together.
When Draymond Green surprisingly opted out of his contract, it felt like James going to Golden State had legs with them also potentially pursuing Anthony Davis. Golden State is eager to maximize Curry’s career with at least one more chance at a title, so they tried to recruit James to form a tantalizing duo with their star.
However, if the all-time leading scorer were to sign with the Warriors, they needed additional moves to propel them into contention. Curry, Green, James and Kristaps Porzingis would not be a championship tandem and perhaps that uncertainty of not knowing if Golden State could pull off more moves prompted the former Laker to cross them off the list.
Despite Curry and James having tremendous respect for one another, even winning a gold medal together, it was not enough of a lure compared to Philadelphia’s roster. While the 76ers will need time to gel and figure out roles, they definitely have a championship-built team as constructed with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid.
Rich Paul believes Kobe Bryant would appreciate LeBron James’ decision to join 76ers
At 41-years-old, James still wants to win and it was apparent that he did not think the Lakers could reach that echelon this season or the immediate future. After several weeks of pondering his decision, James decided that the 76ers gave him a chance at winning title No. 5.
Klutch Sports CEO and agent Rich Paul spoke publicly regarding his client’s thought process of where he wants to play his 24th season. Now that the dust has settled, Paul believes that Lakers legend Kobe Bryant would have appreciated James signing with Philadelphia, as the Black Mamba was born and raised in Philly.
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