The uneasiness in Los Angeles involving LeBron James has yet to dissipate even after the Lakers have addressed their glaring weakness.
On the day following the Lakers’ signing former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton for a cheap deal in the buyout market, a report of teams inquiring about James’ availability surfaced.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps, teams are lurking after James sent a veiled threat to the Lakers when he picked up his $52.6 million player option.
“There were a few inquiries from eyebrow-raised teams, sources said, just to gauge whether this was something or nothing. For now, there is no action. But it is surely being monitored,” Windhorst and Bontemps wrote.
Jovan Buha, former Lakers beat reporter for The Athletic, floated four teams — Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors — as intriguing landing spots for James.
ESPN’s Lakers beat reporter Dave McMenamin said on ESPN Radio 710 that the Mavericks would only be interested in James if the Lakers buy him out.
But that does not make sense for the Lakers, given James’ high salary and his still All-NBA status that can bring back a solid return to help them build around Luka Doncic.
Competing for Championship
Where James stands after the Lakers picked up Ayton and 23-year-old 3-and-D wing Jake LaRavia is unknown to this point.
Before these Lakers’ twin moves, which came after they lost veteran 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith, James issued an ultimatum to the Lakers through his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
The Lakers made a seismic organizational pivot from James when they traded for Doncic, swapping Anthony Davis, James’ closest friend on the team and a fellow Klutch Sports client. Upon Doncic’s arrival, the Lakers quickly catered to his demands, leading to the rescinded Mark Williams trade, which didn’t go unnoticed in James’ camp.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul continued. “We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
LeBron’s Relationship With Lakers is ‘Dicey’
James’ relationship with the Lakers is “a little crunchy and dicey at the moment,” according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
“The Lakers, as I reported the other day, did not discuss any contract situation with LeBron that went beyond this season,” Amick said on “The Rich Eisen Show. “That is the action that speaks volumes about how they see him right now. Their ideal scenario was going to be that he announced his retirement and allowed them to celebrate him for the entire year. That would have been the cleanest, easiest way for this relationship to come to an end.”
But James, who will enter his 23rd season and will turn 41 in December, has yet to announce his plans beyond next season when he would become an unrestricted free agent for the first time since he joined the Lakers.
“His desire to continue playing— which is obviously his right— will potentially be problematic, where they just have to reach a point where, you know, they can’t continue doling out $50-plus million in that kind of way to him. So that’s where I think he’s looking at everything, monitoring, and we’ll see where it goes. But it does feel a little crunchy and dicey at the moment.”
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