Lakers Pending Offseason Decisions Will Impact LeBron’s Future
In 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th championship in franchise history in the NBA Bubble, tying their arch-rivals in the Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history.
Now, they are on the verge of missing the playoffs and it seems like everything that GM Rob Pelinka and this front office have built over the years is about to come crashing down.
Trading for Russell Westbrook did not work in favor of the Lakers this season and LeBron James’ recent comments at All-Star Weekend could be very telling about his future in Los Angeles.
Not only did James state that the “door is not closed” on a possible return to Cleveland, but he made his intentions to play with his son, LeBron James Jr. a.k.a. “Bronny” James, very clear.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Top Takeaways From NBA All-Star Weekend
“My last year will be played with my son,” James told The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd during a one-on-one interview during All-Star Weekend. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
Aside from looking the happiest he has been in the last several months and just enjoying life in the NBA for once during Cleveland’s All-Star events, LeBron James also talked about Thunder GM Sam Presti and how well of a job he has done through the years.
“The MVP over there is Sam Presti. He’s the MVP,” James said in regards to the job Presti has done in Oklahoma City. “I mean, Josh Giddey is great. But Sam Presti, I don’t understand this guy’s eye for talent. He drafted [Kevin Durant], Russ [Westbrook], Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Josh Giddey and the list goes on and on and on. This guy is pretty damn good.”
Talking about Sam Presti could mean multiple things from LeBron James’ perspective, but two main ideas stick out amongst the rest.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Top Takeaways From NBA All-Star Weekend
The first is that he is subtly telling Los Angeles’ ownership that he wants Sam Presti to be the next general manager of the Lakers, especially given that there are rumors about Klutch Sports, LeBron James’ agency run by his best friend Rich Paul, being unhappy with the job current Lakers’ GM Rob Pelinka has done over the last year or so.
The second is that LeBron James is planting seeds with Oklahoma City about him possibly joining them in the near future.
Why would LeBron James join a team that is currently in 14th place in the Western Conference you may ask?
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Top Takeaways From NBA All-Star Weekend
Well, James made it very clear that he is going to be playing with his son in the NBA, assuming Bronny gets drafted, and the Oklahoma City Thunder own the rights to a total of 35 draft picks through 2028 and if they wanted to, they could easily find a way to draft Bronny James when that time comes, meaning they would be able to sign LeBron James to a minimum contract.
Maybe we are reading too much into this and LeBron James is just simply being a basketball fan and avoiding talking about the Lakers, but it would make complete sense for LeBron to begin planting seeds all around the NBA right now in regards to his future.
Helping his son get drafted is his main priority and James did an excellent job of putting the spotlight on himself and Bronny during All-Star weekend, while also making Lakers fans depressed and worried about his immediate departure in the offseason.
