LeBron James is still the most marketable player in the league – The Lakers would be foolish to move him.
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The Purple and Gold have the biggest conundrum they have had in a while – keep or sell LeBron James. He’s 37 years old, he won’t be playing an intense basketball, and would probably be out injured again. It’s not his fault, time just caught up to him. There is no other player in the history of the league that has the same level of expectation put on them as their year 5 would have had.
Players like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Vince Carter were preparing to retire. LeBron is preparing to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record. Levels to this game. Yes, his game is no longer the 2018 Cavs level, but he still can do it if he wants to. The key emphasis is on wanting to because he doesn’t do it as much anymore.
Jalen Rose believes Jeanie Buss should not move from him the next season, with him drawing parallels to Kobe when they were rebuilding. But that doesn’t work as well here in this argument, because they were rebuilding with the Black Mamba. The Lakers should have been in the semi-finals now, not vacationing.
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LeBron James has one more year left on his contract – if he doesn’t sign, the Lakers lose him for less than a KitKat bar
With his deal running out in 2023, LeBron James may want to look at his options. This next contract could very well be his last big payday, so whatever he does needs to reflect the legacy he is about to leave. With the Lakers front office trading away almost all their draft picks, they would be tempted to recoup some of their losses.
The only team who could want him would be Cleveland – they have a core that could do with the leadership Bron brings. But bringing him back with a year left on his deal would also mean breaking that very core, which they will not do. The other option would be OKC, but would he really play in a small market team at the end of his career?
The Lakers have two other big names they could end up trading, breaking up the short lasting 3-6-0 partnership. Much of their salary is tied in these three big names, so it is definitely the right way to look in. All being said, the team is always bigger than any player – be it LeBron or MJ. The team will go on even after the player retires.
