The growing fear amongst Lakers fans given the current state of the Lakers front office is that, should the team strikeout in free agency, LeBron James could bolt and demand a trade. As more time passes since Magic Johnson’s resignation and more reports surface with a peak behind the curtain of the front office, the less certainty there is in the future.
Despite James signing to a multi-year deal, the superstar has had a past, specifically in his second stint in Cleveland, of virtually holding a franchise hostage. That instance led to the Cavaliers winning an NBA title and making numerous NBA Finals.
While nothing has indicated James would do the same in Los Angeles other than pure speculation, it’s certainly speculation that has some precedent. Not everyone, though, is convinced that James is not long for L.A.
In his recent appearance on The Undisputed, LaVar Ball scoffed at the idea that James would leave the purple and gold.
“Could LeBron want out? No. LeBron ain’t going nowhere. LeBron is looking at the big picture. This is L.A. so you got to have some stuff tossed up in the air when everything don’t go smooth because you got to see how this story turns out. He’s got enough talent on that team to make them win.”
There is some credence to the part of the statement in which Ball says that stuff has to be “tossed up in the air” from time to time. Drumming up news when none exists is a regular occurrence in Los Angeles and across the country, especially in sports.
Even if it’s pure speculation, it’s something worth keeping in mind as the franchise moves into arguably the biggest summer in its history.
