The Oklahoma City Thunder finally put the Los Angeles Lakers out of their misery.
On Monday night, the defending champions waltzed into Crypto.com Arena and secured a series-clinching 115-110 victory over the Luka Doncic-less Lakers to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
With the loss, the Lakers have no choice but to figure out where to go from here. Blue Man Hoop's Peter O'Keefe believes that the franchise's 41-year-old superstar forward should leave the Lakers for the Golden State Warriors this summer.
"Warriors hopes of signing LeBron James took a positive turn on Saturday (he signed a two-year contract to remain Golden State's head coach," O'Keefe wrote Sunday.
"While (Steve) Kerr may be far from the biggest factor as to why James may consider joining the Warriors this summer, his departure and the arrival of an untried, inexperienced coach could have put a dent in the franchise's appeal to veteran stars."
"Kerr and James have a relationship from their time together winning Gold for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and as Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard outlined in the aftermath of the 60-year-old's re-signing, he remains the best coach to steer a veteran team back towards contention."
"The big question on James' future isn't just about whether he'll be willing to leave the Lakers, but if he's open to taking a significant pay cut to join a team like the Warriors or another veteran team hoping to contend next season."
James had a great run with the Lakers during the latter stages of his Hall of Fame career. The former No. 1 overall pick played an integral role in helping the Lakers return to their competitive ways in the post-Kobe Bryant era.
James also made NBA history on several occasions (he became the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer, the first player to compete in the NBA for 23 seasons, and the first player to compete with his son in the big leagues while playing with the Lakers).
That said, it’s time for the Lakers to hand the keys to Doncic and allow James to either search for greener pastures elsewhere or retire.
Joining the Warriors would definitely be an intriguing option, as it would enable the four-time NBA champion to compete for his fifth and likely final championship alongside the best shooter of all time, Stephen Curry.
More NBA news: