Why the LeBron James Lakers rumors will never come to be
By Jason Reed
3. $61 million is not enough for a LeBron James superteam in LA
If the Los Angeles Lakers want to contend for a title with LeBron James, they are going to have to also bring in another max contract star. Period. That is not the case for other teams that James could go to next season.
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Another rumored team, the Houston Rockets, already have James Harden and a solid core around him. If the Rockets simply choose LeBron over re-signing Chris Paul they instantly become the favorites to win the Finals.
Even a team like the New York Knicks, who we mentioned earlier, have roots to make a LeBron super teamwork. They have Frank Ntilikina and a likely lottery pick this season to free up cap space to bring in LeBron and another star. Plus, here is the kicker, they already have a superstar in Kristaps Porzingis.
The Lakers simply do not have that same kind of luxury with their cap space and current situation unless the stars take a pay cut. Or, if the team decides to go all-in on this superteam, trade Lonzo Ball to open up Luol Deng and create just about $80 million in practical cap space. That may be enough, but even then, they have the previous two obstacles to jump through.
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Quite frankly, Paul George is a much more realistic option for the Los Angeles Lakers and should be who the fans are concerning themselves’ with. If anyone is hoping for LeBron in LA, well, you may ultimately just get disappointed.