LeBron James continues his lovefest with the Golden State Warriors
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers were the favorites to win the NBA Championship out of the Western Conference last season and instead, the purple and gold failed to even make the play-in game. LeBron James and co. then had to watch the Golden State Warriors return to the promised land, this time without Kevin Durant.
While the Warriors were undoubtedly a great basketball team, they were not the same team that won back-to-back titles with Durant. They certainly were beatable and if the Lakers’ front office did not have a disastrous summer in trading for Russell Westbrook, LA could have at least made the NBA Finals last season.
Instead, it was a horrible season and things are not getting much better. As it currently stands, the Lakers have a roster that will yield the same results as last season. With LeBron being in the final year of his contract, this could lead to LeBron James leaving LA for greener pastures.
And with how much LeBron James seems to love the Warriors and everyone on the team, the Lakers have to consider them a threat to snag away the face of the NBA. LeBron continued his lovefest with the Warriors, posting photos of himself with Draymond Green and Stephen Curry from Green’s wedding this past weekend.
Normally this would be nothing but two things are two about LeBron James. First, it is that he is very calculated about what he puts out into the world and when he does it. LeBron has used the media and social media to leverage teams in the past and this could be a not-so-subtle message to Jeanie Buss and co.
After all, LeBron has recently said that Stephen Curry is the one player in the NBA that he would like to play with. Not only that, but LeBron later said that the Warriors were the one team still in the NBA Playoffs that he would join back in June.
LeBron James has been talking about the Warriors more than he has been talking about the Lakers. The writing might be on the wall for him to take his talents up to the Bay Area.
The Golden State Warriors would be a perfect one-year stopgap for LeBron James.
If the Los Angeles Lakers do not figure it out this season and LeBron James loses faith in this front office then the Warriors make the most sense for him next season. LeBron would have to take a minimum contract to join the team but with all the money he has made in his career and the fact that he is a billionaire, he is more likely to do that than he ever has been before.
LeBron has to buy another year until Bronny James comes into the league anyway. Bronny can be drafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, meaning that LeBron has to find somewhere to play during the 2023-24 season that allows him to be a free agent to sign with whatever team drafts Bronny.
Instead of staying with a Lakers team that is very obviously sinking, LeBron could join up with the player he has always wanted to play with to become the favorites in the NBA. With so much talent around him, LeBron would have a smaller workload in the regular season and in the playoffs would create yet another seemingly unbeatable Warriors team.
It works for his life in Los Angeles as well. LeBron would not have to uproot his family and move across the country, allowing his kids to stay in the same schools.
It is very clear that LeBron chose the Lakers for the LA lifestyle and the Warriors are a short 45-minute private jet ride away for LeBron. Heck, it probably would take just as long to get to the Bay Area as it does for LeBron to drive to the Lakers’ training facility.