Lakers Rumors: LeBron James to Los Angeles is a long shot

Recent Lakers rumors have been about whether or not LeBron James will sign next offseason. What is the latest news on the rumor mill?

Since the Los Angeles Lakers are playing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, this has sparked the Lakers rumors of LeBron James leaving the Cavaliers for Los Angeles.

Team President Magic Johnson has done a nice job setting the Lakers up to have the ability to sign some premier talent this coming offseason. With a good young core, cap space, and the bright lights of Los Angeles, the Lakers are a more desirable destination for free agents than they have been in recent years.

However, trying to lure the best player in the NBA away from his hometown will not be easy. When LeBron left Cleveland, it was to chase a championship with two future Hall of Famers in Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. While the Lakers do have a lot of young talent, that talent still needs to grow.

Recently, Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com talked about the possibility of LeBron going to the Lakers. Here’s what they had to say.

"So imagining James’ last act coming in purple and gold isn’t without basis. But as of now, it’s also a longshot, according to league sources. Still, expect the atmosphere, and the intrigue, to be as thick as the winter storm battering Cleveland when the Lakers and Cavaliers play Thursday night."

Seeing the word long shot will certainly be upsetting for Lakers fans, as the hope was to add him and another great talent like Paul George to their already good core of young talent. However, seeing LeBron leave Cleveland would likely take the perfect storm of things to happen.

Even though a core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma looks good on paper for the future, two of those players are just rookies, and Ingram is only in his second season. While playing with young talent should be appealing for an aging LeBron, the Lakers might be too young at this point.

Also, the Lakers were not able to have a bonafide All-Star in place to help lure LeBron to Los Angeles. With Paul George being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, that took away something that would have been very appealing for LeBron to see already in place.

Next: 3 Reasons why Julius Randle should start

With a lot of time between now and free agency in the Summer, things can obviously change. Who knows, an impressive showing by the Lakers in Cleveland might even begin to change LeBron’s mind about Los Angeles.