There has been a lot of talk about the possibility of LeBron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers next season. One person that is a believer is Matt Barnes.
Even though LeBron James wasn’t a free agent this offseason, there was plenty of talks linking him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
This offseason, the Lakers did a very nice job setting themselves up to spend a lot of money on free agents next offseason. Most notably, the trade that sent D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets helped create cap space for next summer.
In free agency this year, the Lakers were able to land a talented player in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. However, he was only signed to a one-year deal, which keeps options open for the Lakers.
In addition to the James rumors this offseason, there have also been a lot of rumors about Kyrie Irving. Irving reportedly wants out of Cleveland, as the Cavaliers have become a bit of a mess. The drama surrounding Irving and the changes in the front office this offseason are certainly not increasing the chances that James stays after next season.
Recently, Matt Barnes talked about the possibility of James joining the Lakers on ‘The Herd’ with Colin Cowherd. Here’s what Barnes had to say on the show via LakersNation.com.
"“No better place. Yeah, no question. I think with him, he bought a big old house out in Brentwood. LA is the place to be. I heard he wants to be in management after and I think no better person in the game to help model and shape him than Magic Johnson.”"
"You add this monster, it's going to be trouble." — @Matt_Barnes22 on LeBron potentially joining the Lakers pic.twitter.com/Lc22C4LSeD
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 31, 2017
With a house already in Los Angeles, it certainly makes a lot of sense that the Lakers would be considered. As Barnes mentioned, Magic Johnson has also been extremely successful as a business man in his post-playing career. This is something that is also extremely important for James.
On the court, the Lakers have a good young core with Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram as the headliners. This season, we might very well see the young Lakers core begin to start getting more tallies in the win column.
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For LeBron, on the court success is just one of the many things that will create interest for him to leave Cleveland. Los Angeles is one of the few cities in the NBA that can offer James all he might desire off the court and for when his career ends. Even though it is still a year away, the 2018 offseason is already shaping up to be a wild one.