Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: It is being reported that LeBron James is 100 percent leaving Cleveland, something Lakers fans will be happy to hear.
Los Angeles Lakers rumors have slowly rolled in in recent days. With the NBA Schedule now rolled out and training camp right around the corner, Lakers news will probably be slow. However, there are other rumors still swirling, with the most recent one involving LeBron James.
Earlier this offseason Lakers fans got excited when there were reports that James could consider the Lakers in free agency next year. James lives in Los Angeles and his production company is based there. James has an affinity for Los Angeles, making the Lakers a possibility.
On the court, the Lakers also have some young, up and coming talent that could be intriguing to play alongside. In addition to the young players such as Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, the Lakers could have enough cap space to land two max players.
For now, that is still a pipedream. It is hard to imagine James joining a team that has not made the postseason for four consecutive seasons, and look like they will make it five this year. However, they will be excited with the most recent news involving James.
According to Chris Sheridan, an NBA source said today that this will be the last season in Cleveland for James. He will 100 percent be leaving, and the source cited his broken relationship with ownership as a reason why.
NBA source said today: "This will be LeBron's final season in Cleveland. He is 100 percent leaving. Relationship with owners beyond repair."
— Chris Sheridan (@sheridanhoops) August 16, 2017
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This is quite a bombshell. James is arguably the best player in the NBA. The landscape of the league will change depending on where he ends up. He also has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he will be with Cleveland this season.
This is a worst case scenario for the Cavaliers. They will not be able to get anything in return for James as he is unlikely to waive his no-trade clause.
However, that may not be the case. According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, James’ camp is vehemently denying the report, saying that the source was off. The part of about James’ relationship with ownership is what Kennedy reports they are denying the most.
LeBron camp is vehemently denying this report. "That source is totally off, especially about the relationship between LeBron and ownership."
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) August 16, 2017
This is the last thing that the Cavaliers needed. They have struggled to address needs on the roster, as they have pretty much the same team returning this upcoming season. In addition to that, they are dealing with the Kyrie Irving situation. Earlier this offseason it was revealed that Irving wanted out of Cleveland and was seeking a trade elsewhere.
Next: 3 Reasons Lakers Should Sign LeBron James
This is not how Cleveland envisioned their offseason going. They are moving away from being title contenders and closer to irrelevancy. It is something Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka and company are hoping to take advantage of starting next offseason when James becomes a free agent.