SUMMARY
- LeBron James will either opt out of his final year with the Lakers and test free agency or sign a max deal with LA.
- The 4x NBA Champion much rather remain with the Lakers than go to another team.
LeBron James never fails to disappoint as an individual athlete, but it’s the team built around him that helps determine how far he will get into a season. Recently, the Los Angeles Lakers faced a growing first-round exit against the Denver Nuggets. LA had a ton of issues that needed to be aided which included poor coaching and a lack of consistency in individual contributions. But through it all, the 39-year-old stood strong as their best player.
LeBron James SURPASSES Oscar Schmidt as the ALL-TIME SCORING LEADER IN ALL OF BASKETBALL! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/uW7V6Zn5UC
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 3, 2024
James is currently preparing to compete with Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics. But there’s another situation that will need his attention soon. The Lakers forward currently had a player option to exercise with the Lakers worth just over $51 million. Rumors claim that he might opt out of his final year to land a max contract with the Lakers or any other team through free agency. But staying with LA might be the better option.
LeBron James will buy himself more time to build a legacy with the Lakers
From a legacy standpoint, LeBron James is second best player ever if not the greatest. But playing for the Lakers means playing for NBA royalty and his legacy with the purple and gold is what needs to be settled. The Lakers have accommodated players like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and the logo man himself, Jerry West.
Why isn’t James considered a Laker legend? The answer is quite simple. It’s because he hasn’t played for LA for as long as any other individual mentioned above has. And every single one either began their GOAT journey with the Lakers or played with the team throughout their career. James is already considered the greatest to ever play in Cleveland and one of the greatest to do it in Miami. But LA still needs more from him, which means more titles in specific.
The Lakers are still LeBron James’ best shot at another title
LeBron James has already won an NBA title with the Lakers. And even though they’ve never reached the finals since 2020, this Lakers team is filled with great talent. All they need is a proper admiral to coach the team in the right direction. Obviously, injuries have also been a major reason why the Lakers haven’t been able to win.
If the 4x NBA Champion decides to sign with another team, he will be pressured to win another title solely due to the fact that he’s won a championship with every other team he’s played for. Teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons have shown interest in acquiring James, but either they have too much talent to work with or aren’t strong enough to help James carry them to a title.
LeBron James has 5 NBA records that potentially will never be broken in History.
👑 40,000 Career Points
👑 8,000 Playoff Points
👑 20x All-Star Team
👑 20x All-NBA Team
👑 Finals MVP with 3 FranchisesNBA KING👑 pic.twitter.com/OamSveAEzj
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) May 30, 2024
LeBron could also opt out of his final year since a max contract worth $161 million for three years. If James does this, it would mean that the Lakers will be paying less than the $51 million he’s expected to receive in his player option. They can also use that extra financial wiggle room to sign better players.
Lastly, the Lakers should simply draft Bronny James for the sake of keeping LeBron around until he retires. Multiple other teams are willing to draft Bronny to lure LeBron. LA doesn’t have much pressure to sign a good player in the second round in this year’s draft. They might as well sign Bronny to secure LeBron’s future with the team.