LeBron James and his former championship teammate could reunite in the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, five-time NBA All-Star forward Kevin Love is expected to be bought out by the Utah Jazz and will only consider joining big-market teams.
“The buyout doesn’t typically really get figured out until that next situation is fully determined. I don’t think you’re going to sign the paperwork to give up guaranteed millions of dollars until you have your next situation lined up.
“With Kevin Love, to my understanding, he really only wants to be in the big glamorous markets… New York, a Los Angeles type of situation,” Fischer said on his Bleacher Report’s “Insider Notebook” livestreamed on July 24.
James and Love played together in Cleveland for four seasons. They went to the NBA Finals every year and historically won the championship — the first 3-1 comeback in NBA Finals history — in 2016.
Love, 36, is no longer the perennial All-Star he once was. He only appeared in 23 games last season with the Miami Heat, averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds.
The 6-foot-8 veteran stretch big man was a throw-in salary in the Norman Powell–John Collins swap in a three-team trade between the Heat, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Jazz.
But while Love is in the twilight of his career, his veteran leadership and self-deprecating humor are very valuable to any contender’s locker room.
The Lakers, however, have to crunch numbers if they are to add Love. After landing former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart from the buyout market, the Lakers now sit $1.1 million below the first apron.
Since they’re hard-capped, they cannot cross the first apron under any circumstance between now and June 30, 2026, according to Silver Screen & Roll’s Bryan Toporek.
LeBron’s Situation Still Volatile
Even after The Athletic reported, citing league and team sources, that the Lakers have received “no indication” of a forthcoming trade request or buyout talks from James or his representatives, the situation remains volatile, according to former Memphis Grizzlies executive John Hollinger.
While James will enter the training camp as a Laker, the question still lingers about his future in Los Angeles.
Hollinger, who is now a front office insider for The Athletic, warned that James’ volatile situation could explode if things go south in Los Angeles.
Hollinger still views the Dallas Mavericks, based on whispers around the league, as James’ potential next destination.
“Nonetheless, this situation bears watching from both sides, particularly if L.A. starts the regular season slowly. The Lakers set themselves up to have max cap room next summer once James’ salary comes off their books, taking advantage of an artificially low cap hold for Austin Reaves. If that’s their angle, wouldn’t it make sense to cash in their James stock if they aren’t challenging at the top of the West?” Hollinger wrote on July 21.
Cracks in LeBron-Lakers Relationship
The Lakers showed their hand early this offseason that they are no longer James’ team, which led to Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul’s controversial statement.
The proof is in the pudding.
Exhibit A was the viral video of the aftermath of a private meeting between Luka Doncic, his business manager Lara Beth Seager, Lakers president Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick following their first-round exit without James.
The most damning evidence was Doncic’s role in the additions of Deandre Ayton and Smart, which multiple reports paint him as the chief recruiter.
The Lakers are now Luka’s team. And for the first time in his illustrious career, LeBron is no longer the franchise star — the center around which a team orbits.
If the situation becomes untenable in Los Angeles, Hollinger presented the ideal scenario for the 40-year-old star.
“Meanwhile, James has some power to choose his next destination via a no-trade clause, but free agency isn’t what it used to be. The best realistic way for him to get paid next summer by his team of choice is to land at his preferred destination via trade, and then have intact Bird rights in the summer of 2026,” Hollinger wrote.
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