The Los Angeles Lakers have the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday with the consensus being that they’ll use that pick Lonzo Ball out of UCLA. If the Lakers brass goes that route, they’ll likely have their point guard of the future, but who will be playing alongside him in the years to come remains a mystery.
Along with all the trade rumors linking Paul George to the Lakers, LeBron James has also been linked to the 16-time NBA champions. James could decide to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers after next season, and Los Angeles is a potential destination with players like Ball already pitching the superstar.
Ball made an appearance on SportsCenter on Wednesday and even though he isn’t with the Lakers just yet, already made a pitch to the four-time NBA MVP, via Instagram:
James has two years left on his contract with the Cavaliers but can choose to opt out of his deal after next season. Usually, regardless of whether the player intends to return to their current team or not, opting out is the course of action taken to secure their long-term future while also maximizing earning potential.
At this point, many anticipate LeBron opting out of his deal with Cleveland and giving serious consideration to signing with the Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers. The chance of LeBron moving out West is so high right now that the Clippers brought in Jerry West as a consultant and the Lakers appear to be clearing as much cap space as they possibly can in order to potentially land James and Paul George or another star player on a max deal.
It goes without saying that anything can happen between now and the summer of 2018. Los Angeles could be a destination for LeBron and Ball playing alongside him in a Lakers jersey may not be so farfetched.
