LeBron James playing for the Los Angeles Lakers was supposedly a win-win move both for the NBA superstar and the ball club that once upon a time was used to winning championship titles. But James was sidelined by an injury and the rest of the L.A. crew failed to step up in his absence, resulting to a dismal season ending for both parties.
For the Lakers, it was the sixth year that they were denied a spot on the playoffs. For James, his first year in L.A. will go down as the season that he missed slugging it out in the playoffs and then contending for the title. In the past seven years, starting in 2012, James was a leading figure in NBA championship games and won three rings during the stretch.
This year, he went home disappointed and likely the same can be said of the Lakers management. It's unsurprising then that talks of James not staying for the duration of his four-year contract with L.A. started circulating. Again, a realignment of big NBA stars appears in the offing and King James stands in the center of speculations.
The wildest of these rumors suggest James is heading out for a host of reasons, and one would be the mess that is the Lakers front office now. The crazy situation was confirmed by the sudden departure of Magic Johnson as the team's president for basketball operations. Then there is the glaring reality that L.A. lacks the required talents to support James' quest for another title, and the club shaping up into championship caliber may not happen anytime soon.
In this, time is not an ally for James so his best option is to look elsewhere anew, and according to Business Insider, the Philadelphia 76ers seems a tempting proposition. A blockbuster swap might just happen if the Sixers would be willing to ship out Ben Simmons, and perhaps include Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris with the package, in exchange of acquiring James.
For his part, King James seems inclined to consider the deal, if indeed there are ongoing negotiations, since the rumored recruitment of fellow superstars to the Lakers fold is seen not materializing anytime soon. The likelihood of Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson joining the team seems a remote possibility at the moment.
However, James suiting up with the Sixers while certainly thrilling is not an easy thing. There will be complications, CBS Sports reported, and foremost would be salary adjustments. Such a headache, the report added, "could prove to be a major sticking point in this hypothetical deal."
The Philadelphia management will have to think hard as well on the long-term repercussions of giving up the still fresh Simmons, only on his second year playing in the NBA, in favor of James, who is going 35. It is true the latter is tried and tested and able to win championships but in terms of potentials and benefits to go over the long haul, it's hard to argue that Simmons is the better option.
