The ‘awkward reality’ facing LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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For much of the season, the assumption was that this would be the last year for LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He was playing out the player option on his contract, and so he’d be a free agent when their campaign ended. At age 41, retirement would be an option, and so would signing somewhere else.
But in the last month or so, before the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder, it became clear that a return to Los Angeles might also be in the cards.
That’s because the Lakers turned to James when they needed him most, and he delivered.
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Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves got hurt in quick succession. The only option was to let the King try to put the team on his back. He proved to still be quite capable.
“James was the only player in the league to amass 300 points, 75 rebounds and 100 assists since April 5, the Lakers’ first game without Doncic and Reaves,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote in a new article on Wednesday.
McMenamin went on to describe the “awkward reality” that the Lakers and James face.
“James showed how impactful he still can be at his age,” McMenamin wrote. “It also underscored, once again, an awkward reality for James and the Lakers: They both might need each other more than either side would care to admit.”
It is clear at this point in his career that James can’t whiff on this choice. He doesn’t have that much high-level basketball left, even if it seems he might play forever.
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There’s inherent risk in leaving town and going somewhere new (even if it’s a revamped version of old, like a return to Cleveland).
If James stays in L.A., he knows what he’s getting. He knows the setup. They’ll need marginal improvements, but they’ll be a similar bunch.
The Lakers also have now seen that James can still be a superstar as needed. They aren’t finding a replacement for that if he departs.
So as all the rumors swirl, don’t write off the idea that everyone might stay exactly where they are.
