NBA Rumors: LeBron James Only Needs One Of AD, KD, Kawhi, & Irving To Win Another Title, Says Kendrick Perkins
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is no doubt one of the best basketball players the world has ever seen. However, after failing to reach the postseason in his first year wearing the Purple and Gold, some people are wondering if James still has what it takes to contend for the NBA championship title. At 34, James still hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down, but there’s little doubt that he’s already on the downside of his NBA career.
In a recent appearance on FS1’s Undisputed, which is currently posted on Twitter, retired NBA player Kendrick Perkins discussed several topics, including LeBron James’ chances to win another title. Despite suffering a disappointing 2018-19 NBA season, Perkins strongly believes that James will be returning to the NBA Finals and add another championship ring to his collection.
“Anytime you arguably have the greatest player of all time on your team, in LeBron James, you always have a chance,” Perkins told hosts Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe. “I put full trust in LeBron James. I’ve witnessed it. I played with him. I watched him carry a team.”
Kendrick Perkins, who played with the Cleveland Cavaliers for two seasons, is definitely aware what a player of LeBron James’ caliber is capable of doing. However, in order to have a strong chance to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the 2019-20 NBA season, Perkins said that the Lakers need to pair James with at least one other superstar like Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics, Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors, or Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors.
“LeBron is not happy sitting at home right now. He moved to LA and wants to a win a championship,” Perkins said, as quoted by Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He needs an [Anthony Davis], a Kyrie, maybe a Kawhi, maybe a Durant. I didn’t say all of them. I just said one.”
16 years ago today, 18-year-old LeBron James passed on Adidas and signed a 7-year, $90 million deal with Nike.
1 month later, Kobe (previously with Adidas) signed a reported 5-year, $45 million deal with Nike. pic.twitter.com/lkq9eyd7ur
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 22, 2019
The Lakers undeniably have a realistic chance of pairing LeBron James with the likes of Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant next summer. Last offseason, the Lakers purposely filled their roster with one-year contracts to maintain their salary cap flexibility for the summer of 2019 where Irving, Leonard, and Durant are set to become unrestricted free agents.
Despite failing to secure a deal before the February NBA trade deadline, the Lakers are still expected to resume their trade negotiation with the Pelicans involving Anthony Davis in the 2019 NBA offseason. Aside from offering their young core of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, the Lakers could also use the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft to further convince the Pelicans to send Davis to Los Angeles.
