The 2018 NBA off-season is always only a rumor away and that is especially true with the league’s premier talent being on the market: LeBron James.
LeBron was essentially labeled as a goner this past off-season after all of the drama surrounding the Cavaliers and the Kyrie Irving trade saga and LeBron’s noticeable disappearance during the situation.
Everyone and their mom was already envisioning and planning the future with LeBron James as a Los Angeles Laker.
Let’s pump the brakes. That is far some of certainty, and it may be far from a likelihood.
Here is a quote from a recent piece by Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
“So imagining James’ last act coming in purple and gold isn’t without basis. But as of now, it’s also a longshot, according to league sources.
Ramona Shelburne is one of the more credible sources in the league and Brian Windhorst has made his career by following LeBron James from high school to the NBA.
Any report from either of these two in regards to LeBron, feels like it has some merit.
While LeBron is a very calculated power player behind the scenes that always seems to be two steps ahead he could have his camp putting out this message for a variety of reasons, I honestly believe that he doesn’t know what he is doing yet.
The Cavaliers are still the premier team in the eastern conference (sorry Celtics fans). While there may be some situations out there that could be more appealing for LeBron (the Rockets or Bucks), the Lakers don’t appear to be one of them. Why join one of the 10 worst teams in the league that is extremely young and who’s face of the franchise can’t make a jump shot to save his life? Why join a franchise that hasn’t been relevant for half of a decade and be just the next superstar in a long line of them that have built their name in purple and gold? Is playing there just to be in LA more often for his interests outside of basketball really worth or necessary while he is still playing? Last but not least, why join the western conference? Even with Paul George joining the team in free agency, the Lakers just don’t make sense to me for LeBron James.
You never know what can happen in the NBA though, and that decision is still 7 months away.
