Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has garnered a lot of NBA headlines recently with his press conferences. He was vocal about the roster, saying this wasn’t a team that was on the same level of contenders such as the Milwaukee Bucks following a blowout victory.
That was likely done to put pressure on the front office to make a trade ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, which the Lakers ended up staying pat during. So, he used his platform at NBA All-Star Weekend to put more pressure on the team.
James commented that the door isn’t closed on a third stint with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. He also let it be known that he plans on finishing his career with whatever team his son, Bronny, is playing for. That puts Bronny, who is about a four-star college prospect, squarely on the radar for all 30 teams in the NBA when he is draft eligible.
The last salvo that James tossed at the Lakers organization was praise for Oklahoma City Thunder general manager, Sam Presti. That was likely a direct shot at Rob Pelinka, who is leading a front office that now has friction with James’ representation, Klutch Sports.
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All of this talk has led to a lot of speculation about what James will do in the future. He is eligible for an extension this offseason, but if he doesn’t like the direction things are going, he could just play out this contract and become a free agent in 2023.
The upstart Cavaliers, who are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season, would make a logical landing spot given what James said at All-Star Weekend and the current state of the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, while making an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, shared his thoughts on the situation and Lakers fans will certainly take a sigh of relief.
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Charania doesn’t see a scenario where LeBron James leaves the Lakers and joins the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to what he has heard, James plans on being in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future.
That will certainly put some people within the organization and their fans at ease. However, there is still plenty of work to be done. This current roster will not be contending this season and if they plan on running things back with Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and James next season, it is hard to imagine the results changing much.
Parting ways with Russell Westbrook will only accomplish so much. He is part of the struggles, but not the sole reason for the team’s performance this season. Anthony Davis cannot stay healthy, again and the roster is a mismatched one.
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Pelinka will have to get creative with the limited assets that he has to turn things around and upgrade this roster in the offseason. If he doesn’t, the rumors about LeBron James departing will get louder and louder.
