LeBron James Discussion: Not Returning To The Lakers

He was great the last two games and I've already stated he just hasn't been the same player since the C Bags game. In particular the explosion and jumper is noticeably different. And yes they had a lot of rest but you can't run Lebron into the ground JJ particularly one that is clearly not a 100% and not expect a decline at this age.

Luka getting sick cost us maybe both of those games and AR not being a third star I think is accentuating Lebron not playing well yesterday. At least I was hoping that AR would have been able to win you a game when Lebron and Luka were off but he wasn't even a top 5 player in the series at the end of the day.

Next year hopefully the Lakers with a full Luka year and I'm still a big AR fan and a modified roster the Lakers can do what the C Bags have done the last two years. They keep Horford and Porzingis on ice for most of the regular season and then other teams are shocked when they do play them big minutes they are fresh and healthy.

 

Yeah and so the **** what Rob? HE may have wanted Kieff to remain on the roaster for whatever non basketball reasons … but f*** them (Shake’s) “miniscule asset values” this summer or worse all the way to next deadline. We had no size down low and Jemison (if JJ would have held his nose like he did every time he used Hayes) …. and actually used him it would have HELPED!

 

LeBron to Lavar Ball 10 years later .... "Hold MY Beer"

 

Again, he isn't going anywhere, and he'll come back next season.

I have to go back and read Pincus to see how much of a paycut he needs to take to add an impact piece.

 

He‘s definitely staying in the League to play with Bryce.
I just don’t see us able to build a real Contender after this season unless he takes a massive paycut.
He and Luka combined take up nearly $100 million of the cap next season. It’s what happens the season after that- will he sign for much less to stay with the Lakers and allow us to properly build a roster?

 

He won't sign for much less - I think he feels that he needs to take the max so owners don't undercut other players in their dealings. They can't say "oh well Lebron took a discount why can't you."

The players association is very strong on trying to get as much as they can in the profit split between themselves and owners and they don't want any player taking a discount.

But I imagine he might take a 10m discount for more years. So as an example, opt out and sign a $150m extension:

Year 1: 45m
Year 2: 50m
Year 3: 55m

That opens up the MLE for us if we do some other moves well.

 

Lol.Who is in right mind will pay 55 millions to 45 years old

 

Jeannie

 

Who in their right mind has ever had a cash cow and still elite in moments top 15 over 40 years player? Until the career ending injury comes … likely the Lakers.

 

Then I stop watching Lakers like I did with Clippers when they resigned Kawhi

 

It’s time to build around Luka.
LeBron had more than enough time as the face of THREE separate franchises.
If we continue to keep giving him $50 million per year contracts, we won’t be able to build a proper team and we will be wasting years of Luka’s prime.

 

We could sign him for $150 for three and he could easily go down in the first year. Then, we just wasted THREE years of Luka’s prime.
It’s way too risky.

 

If he goes down, and has a career finishing injury, it's a medical retirement and he comes off the books. If he has a bad injury next year but can play at a Kobe after Achillies level, he most likely only plays one final season in 26/27 as a retirement tour. So either way, we most likely got Lebron for 2 seasons, it's just providing him with that contract flexibility to take less now. 44m is 10m below his max. That's going to cost something in return from us.

 

He'll opt out and will sign a max 1+1

Two more seasons of this crap ..

 

I think he opts out

we sign him for one and one, but with no no trade clause

we shop him for the best return possible

prosper