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Yes, it's time for LeBron and obviously the Lakers, and this sense of watchmaking could work great for both.
Their paths were heading toward a welcome collision that shook the NBA on Sunday when LeBron announced that he would sign. a free agent dealing with the Lakers. And not a short-term affair, either, as he did in Miami and throughout his second tour with the Cavs. No, LeBron is locked up for four years, which means he's ready to give Magic enough time to put together a pretty good team to make the Golden State Warriors nervous.
He joined a group of green bananas not quite June … but wait another 15 minutes because Magic is not over yet. The Lakers missed Paul George, who announced his intention to sign again with Oklahoma City. And Chris Paul, best buds with LeBron, took the Rockets money and stayed there. But there is enough flexibility and assets to rearrange the furniture overnight if the Lakers choose. They are still in the draws for the unhappy star and Kawhi Leonard from Los Angeles and have interest in signing the free agent center DeMarcus Cousins. If none of these options are in play this year, Magic seems more than willing to keep his young team intact and wait until the summer of 2019.
Why patience? Well, Leonard will then be an unrestricted free player, has no change of heart and signs a contract extension with San Antonio (or wherever he spends the 2018 season). 19). There are Jimmy Butler and Kemba Walker ready to reach the market. In addition, Klay Thompson, whose father Mychal earns a Laker salary as a team broadcaster, will be free next summer, and signing it would weaken the Warriors in the process.
Whatever it is, Kyle Kuzma or Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball (or Julius Randle's re-sign) will then develop into potential stars or important pieces on a competitor. What's great about the Lakers' situation is that they have options, and most are good and promising, and half of their problems are already solved because they've got LeBron, a NBA Finals transport team licensed. and owner Jeanie Buss LeBron found the Lakers intriguing enough to leave Cleveland and sign up. When Buss assumed control of the franchise three years ago, she sought advice from Magic and hired him to head the basketball operations. It was a solid match, these old friends, with Jeanie Buss providing the resources needed to polish a franchise that has become obsolete, and radiating Calling Magic and still carrying weight among potential free agents.
He promised Buss that the necessary steps would be taken to develop stars and acquire stars, something that the Lakers have usually and brilliantly done in their history and especially under the late Jerry Buss. It's here that Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O Neal arrived and tasted success, and where Jerry West and Kobe Bryant have spent their entire career.
No question, Jeanie Buss and Magic Johnson sold all that glamor to LeBron. They probably promised him a statue in front of the crowded Staples Center entrance and the chance to have a third jersey removed (after Cleveland and Miami ended up doing what was right and expected).
On Sunday, the first day of the free agency, Magic was at LeBron's home in Los Angeles, no doubt in full charming mode. Although it was probably not terribly necessary. As a student of the game with an appreciation of history, LeBron already had some admiration for the player's Magic. But that's Magic's executive who sealed LeBron's signature by moving mountains in just a few months. Magic eliminated the lead poison pay limit (with only $ 38 million left over from Luig Deng) while charging young percolator talents into Ingram, Kuzma, Ball and Josh Hart. The plan to fetch LeBron was done quickly, early and smoothly, allowing the Lakers to improve from within and beyond.
When You Consider All The Exciting Package – Talent In Hand And Space To Add Another Player To The List A Or Two, And The Heavyweights Hollywood seated in court and eager to do business with the best player in the game – it just seemed the right move for LeBron at the right time.
If you want to take a wary look at a great all-weather who is once again moving, at least applaud him for taking the harder road this time. He could have stayed in the East Easy and join the promising Sixers or stay in Cleveland for a ninth consecutive run for the finals. Instead, he ventures into the West and just down the street from the Warriors, and does it – right now, anyway – without a superstar riding a shotgun.
And there is a risk. It brings 15 seasons of deep wear from depths in June to a high level. He will be 34 next season; while LeBron was brilliant at the age of 33, sometimes father's time comes knocking without warning or compassion. In this sense, he is on the clock, and the closer he gets to the last year of this contract, the more he will need help to keep playing in June.
No matter where and up where he goes every year with the Lakers, LeBron stressed how much his family would have an important voice in his next stop. The move to Miami was mainly selfish. The return to Cleveland was due to the sense of duty and public acceptance. Here, the family weighs. They love the lifestyle and the obvious benefits of being in Los Angeles. It was a group decision after a caucus.
Moreover, it is not lost on LeBron how Magic became a society after his retirement, thanks to powerful LA connections. LeBron wants to produce movies and documentaries and be at the forefront of an ever-changing entertainment landscape. He can now rub the same shoulders as he begins to build an empire that is heavily influenced by Hollywood and technology.
So that sounds right, just looks for LeBron James, who will likely hold several major NBA career and basketball records before he's finished. This move represents a twist to his legacy, an opportunity to align himself among the long line of great Lakers and a win-win for his family and business interests. It's his last basketball round that he hopes to become a victory round
It's the right place, the right time and the right team for another superstar who is suited to Lakers.
The NBA veteran writer, Shaun Powell, has worked for newspapers and other publications for over 25 years. You can send him an email here find his archives here and follow him on Twitter . [19659002] The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
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