All eyes will be on LeBron James this summer.
It’s no secret that there are three primary options for the Los Angeles Lakers star to choose from after flaming out in the second round of the postseason. The future Hall of Famer could return to the Lakers for another season, sign with a new team in free agency, or retire after an accolade-filled, two-decade-long career.
Based on a recent rumor involving James and star point guard Luka Doncic, options No. 2 and No. 3 should be the most likely.
“It was March 31, and the Lakers had just completed arguably their most impressive win of the season with a 127-113 triumph over the ClevelandCavaliers,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote Thursday, “The victory avenged a 30-point loss to the Cavs on Jan. 28 and capped a 32-day stretch in which L.A. went 16-2 to surge up the Western Conference standings.”
“The win was the 1,229th of James' career and moved him past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most victories by any player in NBA history (combined regular season and playoffs). Not to mention, it came on a night when LukaDoncic topped 15,000 career points, and Rui Hachimura reached 5,000.”
“Rather than hand it to Hachimura or Doncic or James, (Rob) Pelinka walked to the front of the room and presented the ball to Redick, who had just presided over his 100th coaching win.”
“And so -- without even stopping to change clothes -- James marched off into the L.A. night, simmering from another perceived indignation delivered by the organization that, as one source close to him told ESPN, tried to 'push him out the door', after acquiring Doncic last season.”
This isn’t the first time a report has revealed dissatisfaction with the franchise’s direction. Last summer, James reportedly wasn’t invited to a pivotal end-of season meeting to discuss the Lakers’ future, but Doncic was in attendance.
Additionally, the Lakers didn’t drag their feet on alerting Doncic of Los Angeles’ historic $10 billion sale, but didn’t inform James immediately.
Those instances didn’t sit well with James, and from that moment on, it appears the four-time NBA champion has been under the impression that the Lakers are eager to anoint Doncic as the face of the franchise.
James enjoyed a memorable eight-year run with the Lakers, but now is as good a time as ever for the 22-time All-Star to give Los Angeles its wish and explore a new opportunity.
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