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LeBron James did not need a great team. He agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday about 20 hours after Paul George announced that he was staying with the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Kawhi Leonard is still a member of the San Antonio Spurs. DeMarcus Cousins is still a free agent. The Lakers may have tried, but they did not acquire another star to prove to James that they could build something special for him to engage in a contract of $ 154 million over four years. They did not need it.
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Three of James' best teammates, for the moment, are Brandon Ingram, 20 years old Lonzo Ball, 20, and Kyle Kuzma, 22. It is unclear how much of them will really play with James rather than being included in a trade. In choosing the Lakers, James has bet that the combination of his presence, these young players and a significant salary cap will be enough to attract the elite talent at some point. Los Angeles might not look like a title contender now, especially in a world where the Golden State Warriors exist, but – according to James' estimate, probably – he will.
It's a bold but clever move. There is no need for an NBA expert to know that players, and especially star players, generally like to play in Los Angeles. The Lakers' reputation had been lagging for some time, but the management of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka reversed this trend this summer. And James' decision to board a long-term deal gives them more weight in trade negotiations right now.
Before this news, the San Antonio Spurs could have asked for the moon in a Leonard trade, arguing that the Lakers essentially traded for two franchise players . Now this is no longer possible, and Los Angeles management can take a more measured approach to building the list, knowing that there is no more destination. attractive. Aside from the moment when the 73 wins Warriors had a hairdresser spot in 2016 thanks to the tip of the cap, it could be that has never been a more appealing destination.
Maybe Leonard will be a Laker before long. Maybe Cousins will join the team for a one – year contract, but that seems much less likely after the Lakers accepted a one – year contract, 12 years ago. millions of dollars to bring back Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a fellow customer of Klutch Sports Group. Maybe James will agree with a group of young guys – and probably veterinarians who sign to play with him – and who are waiting for a free trade or agency from next summer to bring a real co-star. No matter how the rest of this offseason goes, James clearly did not do this move simply based on where he would have the best chance of knocking down the Warriors immediately. He did it according to what he wanted the next phase of his career to look like.
A good way to think about this: If James had chosen to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers, it would be a relatively safe call. His life would not change much, and by staying at the Eastern Conference, he would have more ease in getting to the NBA Finals. Going to the Lakers is not so sure – he joins a legendary franchise with championship expectations and he will have to fight against Golden State and Houston just to have the chance to compete for another ring. The possibilities, however, are much more exciting.
In Los Angeles, James will not only be in a better position to pursue his business interests and send his son to a basketball high school, he will be able to play a role in creating a central electric of its own in the next few years. This will require him to start from scratch in terms of building chemistry with his teammates, just as he did when he left Cleveland eight years ago and when he came back four years ago . No one knows better than James what the challenge is, but James knows how rewarding it can be when it works too.
Given the history of this player and this franchise, do you want to bet against that?
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