Why the LeBron James Lakers rumors will never come to be
By Jason Reed
The Lakers rumors around LeBron James have only strengthened due to NBA All-Star Weekend. However, those rumors will ultimately fall short of expectations.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been missing a true superstar since Kobe Bryant injured his Achilles in April of 2013. Although Bryant would eventually return and put on a 60-point clinic in his final game, he was not the same Kobe Bryant after the injury. This hit the Lakers hard and fast and the team was not really ready for his downfall. He could still be playing if he stayed healthy.
Thus, the Los Angeles Lakers are within the worst stretch in franchise history. Assuming everything stands, this will mark the fifth consecutive year the team makes the playoffs. The franchise has only missed the playoffs five total times prior to this stretch.
However, the young core is only getting better and Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka are starting to change the culture around. With $61 million in practical cap space now available next offseason, the Lakers rumors around which star the team will get have grown.
LeBron James and Paul George have been the most involved names in the Lakers rumors. If LA waits until the summer of 2019, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler become a possibility.
It is LeBron, though, that is the most intriguing. From cryptic tweets to reports from last summer, LeBron coming to LA this summer has been accepted by many as a foregone conclusion; apparently including Skip Bayless:
Players usually make sure the "home town" player wins MVP. Does that mean LeBron's teammates think LeBron (who owns two homes in LA) is going to be a Laker come July?
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 19, 2018
However, a lot of Laker fans would prefer if Paul George came to the Lakers. Luckily for those fans, that is the most likely scenario. Here are three reasons why these LeBron James Lakers rumors will never come to fruition.