As the Los Angeles Lakers enter the upcoming offseason, the biggest question around the team is what the future holds for star forward LeBron James. James can become a free agent this summer, holding a $52 million player option on his current contract.
Most around the NBA believe that James will either agree to the player option or that he will opt-out to sign a new deal with Los Angeles. There aren’t many who believe that James will leave the Lakers, especially with him only having a short time left playing basketball.
James’ longtime agent, Rich Paul, appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” and was asked about the future of James in Los Angeles. Paul gave his answer, sparking some thoughts from fans.
“I have no idea,” Paul said. “Zero.”
Paul was pressed for more information and provided some extra details. But nothing he said should be surprising since this is how James has operated in free agency for years.
“Normally, our process is you kinda weight everything and see how he’s feeling and all those type of things,” Paul said. “Same process it’s been for the last I don’t know how many years.
“He’ll come around to what he’s thinking at some point and we’ll kinda go over some things and go from there.”
If James does stay in Los Angeles, he will be able to continue working alongside star guard Luka Doncic. Los Angeles landed the star during the season, and the two worked well together in a short time.
The duo would have an entire offseason and training camp to continue building chemistry on the court. With the two of them leading the charge, the Lakers earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference entering the playoffs.
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While the team did get eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, it was still a very successful season. Los Angeles saw multiple versions of the team take place, and the coaching staff had to adjust on the fly.
But the front office wants to avoid this happening again next season, and will be very active this summer. Los Angeles desperately needs a center to help run the show, and the team is expected to fully gauge the market.
Additionally, the Lakers may be able to get players to come to Los Angeles, with the idea of playing alongside the star duo. James remaining with the Lakers seems to be the path forward, but in any free agency, things can get tricky if the sides aren’t careful.
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