LeBron James will go down as one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball in the NBA.
He will one day have his jersey retired among the legends of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise for leading them to a championship in 2020.
But a former NBA All-Star believes that if the Lakers want any shot of ever hoisting a trophy again, James and his maximum contract need to be put out to pasture.
On the "Club 520" podcast, former Atlanta Hawks star Jeff Teague spoke out about the hindrance James' salary poses to the Lakers, one they can't fix without him being gone from Los Angeles.
"They can't get anybody defensively because Bron takes up a lot of money," Teague said. "They say we need more defense. Why would you trade AR, who's 27, playing at an All-Star level, when you got a 40-year-old who's on his last leg?"
James is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. His close friend and agent, Rich Paul, recently publicly admitted that James would see out his final year with the Lakers without a trade and then explore his options before the 2026 season.
While unlikely, there is a possibility that this is James' final year in the league before retirement.
If James does leave Los Angeles, the teams that have been linked to the 21-time All-Star over the past year are the Golden State Warriors and his two previous teams, the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Newsweek