NBA Rumors: Klutch Sports insist talks over LeBron James’ future with the LA Lakers have not taken place
Klutch Sports indicated there has yet to be a conversation regarding LeBron James’ future with the LA Lakers in an article posted to Bleacher Report.
James and his future with the Lakers has been questioned multiple times since the end of L.A.’s regular season. Speculation started after their disappointing run came to an equally disappointing conclusion.
Talks about LeBron James and his future have not taken place
James spoke about the situation after his exit meeting with the Lakers last week. James explained:
“Myself and Rich [Paul] can’t even begin to talk with Rob [Pelinka] or the front office at all because of the collective bargaining agreement. … When we get to that point, we’ll see.”
The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement is a contract between the commissioner, the 30 team owners and the Players Association. The agreement dictates the rules of contracts, trades, revenue distribution, the draft, and the salary cap.
James noting that he is bound by a contractual obligation to avoid any talks about his contract indicates the talks about him leaving have merely been rumors. Most assume LeBron James wants to move on after the year the Lakers had, but he has mentioned his desire to retire as a Laker.
The Lakers finished the regular season in 11th place with 33 wins to 49 losses. The disappointment in L.A. has largely been credited to James for his influence in the decision to add long-time friends Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook.
With that being said, most are aware of the massive influence LeBron James has in Los Angeles. Why would James want to leave a city he has such control over?
Big decisions, such as wiping out a future for big name players like the Lakers did, are what makes or breaks a team's season and/or future. James may not want to risk moving to a squad that won't offer him the same power.
James concluded his 19th year, but his ability to dominate games showed no signs of slowing down. However, there are still coaches and executives across the league that will treat players as players regardless of their status.
Even if he is LeBron James, a coach may still disregard his immense influence.
James is in his fourth year in L.A. and is accustomed to four-year stints. James spent 2010-2014 on the Miami Heat and then 2014-2018 during his return for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The rumors starting about James moving on do make sense.
However, if James perseveres in L.A. and leads them back to success, his career narrative would benefit much more than if he ditched L.A. for a finals run.
LeBron James finished the regular season having averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. L.A.’s inability to translate James’ scoring and playmaking is certainly concerning. It is, in fact, a team game, and an individual can only do so much.
Also important to note, James voiced his desire to play for whatever team his son ends up on.
It makes more sense for James to enter a situation similar to his return to Cleveland, where he accepted only one-year contracts. Instead of signing a two-three year contract extension in the offseason, James may opt for a single year contract and decide at the end of next season.