The Los Angeles Lakers will go hunting for superstars this summer and LeBron James is all but certain to be at the top of their list. However, Los Angeles won’t be the only team interested in his talents, which could set the league up for quite a free agent frenzy in July.
For James, the whole process is becoming routine. He has already changed teams twice in his career, and each time created a circus-like atmosphere, some of which was a result of his own doing.
The latest indications were James had a list of four teams, which included the Lakers, that he would have interest in signing with as a free agent. And with the Cleveland Cavaliers in Los Angeles this weekend, it’s become a major talking point. So too are the billboards recruiting James.
James refuted having any idea on which teams he would potentially join this summer and went on to explain he understands why there are endless connections to the Lakers, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
“I understand that I’m a free agent at the end of the summer, so I understand the frenzy that comes with it,” James said. “It’s not my first rodeo, but I don’t, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t talk about it too much. Like I said, I’ll handle that whenever it comes, but it’s, I understand that the conversation happens here because, first of all, they have cap space. And this league is much better when the Lakers, the Knicks and the Celtics are all good at the same time. That’s just how it is. So that’s what also creates the frenzy.”
Along with the Lakers, James was rumored to have selected the Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets as the four teams he is interested in meeting with this summer, but there is plenty of time for that to change.
For the Lakers, signing James would mean an immediate push towards contention and away from rebuilding. They have been slowly digging their way back from the bottom, but a team with James on it no longer has that luxury.
Should they bring him on board they would have to quickly pivot and try to put together a roster that is ready to win immediately.
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