The Los Angeles Lakers face an interesting dilemma this offseason regarding LeBron James and his future with the organization.
James is set to enter the final year of his contract, although he will be eligible for an extension on Aug. 1.
To this point, James has not indicated whether or not he will sign the extension, which will surely be on the table for him if he wants it. If James does end up signing it then that is good news for the Lakers as they will know that they have one of the NBA’s greats for at least a couple more seasons, which will allow them to hopefully build a roster that fits around him in hopes of getting back into championship contention.
If James doesn’t sign the extension though then the Lakers are put in a tough spot. The options for the Lakers then would be to allow James to play out the final season of his contract, or do the unthinkable and trade him.
The latter route obviously isn’t ideal for the Lakers, but many have suggested it considering the team is far away from contending and if James walks in free agency next summer, then they will get nothing in return for him.
One person who is not in favor of trading James is Lakers legend Magic Johnson as in a quick interview with TMZ, he stated that he hopes to see LeBron in the purple and gold for years to come:
“LeBron I hope will be a Laker for a long time. I hope so.”
It’s not surprising to see Johnson take this stance considering he is responsible for bringing James to L.A. in the first place.
Also, as a former star himself, he knows how hard those are to come by in the NBA and James is, of course, a one-of-a-kind player capable of leading the organization to great things if he has talent around him.
Relationship with Klutch Sports
Another aspect of this is the Lakers’ relationship with Klutch Sports. If James is traded without his approval then L.A. risks burning bridges with him and Klutch Sports.
Considering how many great players they represent, including the Lakers’ other star in Anthony Davis, who is under contract for three more seasons, trading James would risk losing more quality players in the future.
With all of that being said, Johnson’s desire to keep James in a Lakers uniform for as long as possible makes all the sense in the world. Now, the ball is in the King’s court regarding whether or not he wants to stay.
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