NBA Rumors: LeBron James To Lakers Is ‘Still A Long Shot,’ According To Ramona Shelburne
With the persistent NBA rumors that LeBron James will sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason, a new report is shedding light on how likely that is to happen. ESPN journalist Ramona Shelburne recently went in depth on how the Lakers will have the room to sign two major stars, one of which could be LeBron James. However, she also cautioned that there’s a very low likelihood he’ll leave Cleveland to join a team like the Los Angeles Lakers currently present.
The idea that James will decide to play for Magic Johnson’s Lakers next season continues to excite L.A. fans, while causing a commotion among Cleveland fans. In Friday’s article from ESPN‘s Ramona Shelburne, she cited NBA sources that said James joining the Lakers as a free agent is “still a long shot.” As of right now, James is focused on the goal of trying to succeed with his current team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and ultimately pursuing another championship for the city.
The roster was rebooted as of the NBA trade deadline but has yet to find its form just yet. Even with losing streaks, though, the fact that a superstar of James’ caliber is on the team gives them a great shot at a title run. The idea of leaving Cleveland right now is at the back of James’ mind, as he needs to see how this season and postseason play out.
Shelburne presented a quote from one source indicating that James has yet to even worry about making a decision over his free agency.
“If someone is pretending they know what LeBron is thinking, they’re guessing. How could anyone know when he doesn’t even know?”
It was mentioned a day ago that LeBron James had a shortlist of four teams he will consider this summer as a free agent: Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, or Cleveland. Three of those teams have been actively advertising to “King James” via billboards around their cities. The fourth team, Houston, might be advertising simply by their display of the league’s top record at the moment. They’re ahead of the reigning champion Warriors, and adding James could help them start winning titles again.
In a separate ESPN report, LeBron addressed the whole idea of his free agency and the frenzy it brings as there’s the possibility he’ll join a historic franchise such as the Lakers.
“I’ll handle that whenever it comes, but it’s, I understand that the conversation happens here because, first of all, they have cap space. And this league is much better when the Lakers, the Knicks and the Celtics are all good at the same time. That’s just how it is. So that’s what also creates the frenzy.”
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. After a day of rest, it’s a showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s entirely possible that Sunday’s matchup will feature LeBron competing against the future team he’ll play for. However, he reiterated that the goal now is to win with the Cleveland Cavaliers. That includes preparing to win games against both Los Angeles teams in the next three days, and eventually focusing on the teams they’ll face in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
