“If you are that guy that doesn’t mean the basketball team is any good” - NBA analyst believes LeBron James will have to accept a complementary role if he leaves LA Lakers
LeBron James is reported to have begun contract extension talks with LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. According to NBA analyst Dave McMenamin, the forward's agent and CEO of Klutch Sports Group, Rich Paul, said that the talks were productive and will continue.
New story: LeBron James and the Lakers discussed their future together on Thursday. Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports Group, told ESPN the talks were “productive” es.pn/3zW94hw
An extension could see the 18-time All-Star possibly retire with the franchise. Having made his intentions to play alongside his son before he retired, Bronny James could wear a Lakers jersey. If that did not happen, analyst Freddie Coleman said it is imperative that James gets used to being a "complementary piece," if he moves away from the Lakers.
Coleman said that if James leaves the Lakers in a bid to play with his son, there will be some caveats.
"LeBron James has to get used to something like this," Coleman said. "If you're gonna move away from the Los Angeles Lakers, wherever you go, that doesn't mean they're gonna move heaven and earth for you. You're gonna have to go and be a complementary piece, even though you're still great.
"You don't have to worry about that in the Lakers. You're still the dude in Los Angeles. But if you want to move out of LA, you wanna be part of a building program. You wanna play for your son. There's gonna be some caveats you're gonna have to deal with. One of those caveats is, wherever you go, you're not gonna be the guy at 38, 39, 40 years old of age.
"If you're that guy, that doesn't mean the basketball team is any good competing for a championship, no matter how great LeBron is. That's something that he may have to wrap his head around."
Freddie Coleman believes LeBron James' ego will not let him be a complementary player
At 37 years of age, LeBron James continues to be a key player for his team and could continue in that light leading up to his retirement from the league. He is reportedly looking to extend his contract with the Lakers as he is eligible for a two-year deal worth $97.1 million.
Reacting to whether or not James can settle for a complimentary role within the franchise if he leaves, analyst Freddie Coleman thinks not. He said that the four-time NBA champion might not be able to handle it.
"I wonder LeBron James, as powerful as he still is, will have enough of an ego to deal with that if that's gonna be the case if he wants to move out of Los Angeles," Coleman said.