The current situation between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers is somewhat confusing. Throughout his entire tenure in L.A., the relationship has mostly been smooth sailing. However, ever since James opted into the final year of his contract, things have felt a bit off — at least according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“They haven’t put out a statement. It’s not a rule that you put out a statement when a player picks up an option but it is customary, and the Lakers did not do that,” Windhorst said. “I had to actually check with the team and the league. I said, ‘Did LeBron actually opt in?’ And they said, ‘Yes, the paper work went through. He opted into his contract. Last year when LeBron signed a contract extension, Rob Pelinka had about a 115-word quote talking about how wonderful LeBron James is and what he means to the Lakers and what he means to their franchise. Yesterday there was no statement.”
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne believes this shift signals that James is no longer in control of the Lakers’ direction.
“He’s still that good. I don’t think it’s his last year, but the fact that the Lakers did not discuss a 1-in-1, or a 2-in-1, or contracts beyond this year with him. They just let him sit back… that tells you a lot. It’s not in his control with LA,” Shelburne said.
That shift in leverage means the Lakers could potentially trade LeBron — and one possible suitor could be the New York Knicks.
“To me, the Knicks are the most interesting one because they could sell it as like if it’s [OG] Anunoby and [Mitchell] Robinson or some combination of Anunoby, [Mikal] Bridges and Robinson,” Lowe said on his podcast The Zach Lowe Show. “They could sell it as like, well, we get LeBron James and we’re kind of actually sneakily cleaning up our books for like two or three years down the line, assuming it’s a short-term LeBron deal.”
Such a trade would pair LeBron with Jalen Brunson in New York — and it could also clear the way for Luka Dončić to gain the lob threat he’s been hoping for. As it stands, LeBron James’ tenure with the Lakers could very well be nearing its end.
