After being eliminated early from the Playoffs, LeBron James is at a crossroads. One side is to choose to stick with the Lakers, the other side is to say goodbye to the purple and gold team.
As a rare player in NBA history to win championships with 3 different teams, and as someone who fought alongside LeBron James on his journey to winning the ring in 2020, Danny Green shared his raw but honest thoughts about “King James’” championship potential with the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to the NBA champion with the Spurs, Raptors and Lakers, if LeBron James wants to touch the gold cup once more, he should… move to another team.
“I think they (Los Angeles Lakers – PV) have a great offense with LeBron and Luka Doncic, but the defensive hole is too big and the offense can’t make up for it,” Danny Green shared on the All The Smoke podcast.
A former defensive and 3-point shooting specialist when playing alongside LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Danny Green further explained that if the team does not make major personnel changes, James could completely lose faith in the club and leave.
“LeBron doesn’t have much longer to play, and every year that passes, James’s ability to compete for a championship will decrease significantly. Remember, LeBron is 40 this year. He will be 41 by the end of the year. Every year that passes, his physical condition will decline significantly.
Advertisements
Of course LeBron can still score 20-30 points. But with the current lineup and formula of the Lakers, I don’t believe LeBron can win a championship with the Los Angeles team,” James’ former Lakers teammate added.
LeBron James just finished the first year of his two-year, $104 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The remaining year of his contract is a Player Option, meaning LeBron has the full right to decide whether to stay or leave the Lakers.
Although unlikely, the scenario of LeBron opting out and becoming a free agent this summer is still present. According to the contract terms, the deadline for James to make a Player Option decision is June 29.
In the 2024-25 season, the 1984-born superstar continued to be effective in the Regular Season. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, was named to the All-Star team, and was named to the All-NBA 2nd Team.
But LeBron James’ level and class have not translated into collective success in the Playoffs. The Lakers still did quite well in the Regular Season, even when the blockbuster transfer of Luka Doncic suddenly exploded in the middle of the season.
However, the LA team was eliminated early in the Playoffs with a series score of 1-4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, marking the third season in the last four years they stopped in the first round.
According to reputable journalist Shams Charania updated 1 week ago, LeBron James “intends to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for at least 1 more season”.
However, everything is still just stopping at the phrase “intention”, no decision has been made from James or his representative, super agent Rich Paul.
On the Los Angeles Lakers side, the team’s management is expected to look for a quality center to add to the squad, providing the right type of player that LeBron and Luka Doncic want to operate together to improve competitiveness next season.