For the first time since he moved to the Western Conference, LeBron James will be an unrestricted free agent.
It always seemed James would retire with the Los Angeles Lakers, but their addition of Luka Doncic may have changed the front office’s plans.
However, there’s still a chance James will resume his career in purple and gold, though both parties would still have to work out the financial aspects of their partnership.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, James would prefer to stay in Los Angeles, given that his family has already established itself there.
LeBron wants to stay in Los Angeles
“Staying with the Lakers is widely believed to be his preferred choice because he is so entrenched in Los Angeles now after eight seasons with the purple and gold,” Fischer wrote.
Nevertheless, that won’t stop the Golden State Warriors from trying to get him. Apparently, they believe that he could still stay in Los Angeles while playing in Northern California.
“Yet league sources maintain that Golden State remains legitimately interested in adding LeBron to their Stephen Curry/Jimmy Butler/Draymond Green core coached by Steve Kerr,” added Fischer. “With the pitch presumed to include the idea that LeBron could commute from Los Angeles to some TBD degree without having to move his family.”
Multiple teams will be in the hunt for James’ services, and it might come down to who’s willing to pay him the most.
Granted, James is no longer the type of player who should demand $50 million a year, but with this most likely being his final contract, he may want to maximize his earning potential before riding into the sunset.
