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Could LeBron James leave the Lakers? What team could he join?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been utterly humiliated in their Playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, and they may need a full reboot.

Joe Brennan
Joe Brennanj4brennan
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) throws powdered chalk before the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena.
Kirby LeeUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

What’s Ctrl+Atl+Del in basketball speak? Because the Lakers might just need to do exactly that. The Denver Nuggets have not only beaten them in the series, they have annihilated them, putting the record holders in their place with whirlwind performances that have flipped the Lakers over and exposed their underbelly before slicing a lightsaber through the middle.

The situation on the west coast brings with it a fundamental question: what to do with the players. And when you’re the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024, one player sticks out more than the rest. It may just be time for The King to move on.

What awards and honours has LeBron James won in his career?

  • 6 All-Defensive Team
  • 19 All-NBA
  • 1 All-Rookie Team
  • 3 NBA All-Star Most Valuable Player
  • 4 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
  • 4 NBA Most Valuable Player
  • 39 NBA Player of the Month
  • 67 NBA Player of the Week
  • 6 NBA Rookie of the Month
  • 1 NBA Rookie of the Year
  • 1 NBA Sporting News Most Valuable Player of the Year
  • 1 NBA Sporting News Rookie of the Year
  • 1 Olympic Bronze Medal
  • 2 Olympic Gold Medal
  • 1 NBA In-Season Tournament Most Valuable Player
  • 1 NBA In-Season Tournament All-Tournament

Could LeBron James leave the Lakers?

The NBA record points holder has been at the Lakers since 2018 and, to be honest, the Lakers have never really lived up to the potential that comes with one of the game’s best ever players pulling on the vest. The Lakers simply aren’t what they were, and the series against the Nuggets shows that.

The 39-year-old signed a two-year contract extension with the LA Lakers in September 2022 in a deal worth $97.1 million. However, reports have suggested that James could well walk away from the contract (which has a one-year extension option) at the end of the current season. This contract situation certainly does not leave him tied to the chair in Los Angeles; the door is ajar and he may walk through it after the Lakers confirm the end of their season.

Bronny James could have an impact on his father's future.
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Bronny James could have an impact on his father's future.

Where could he go? Could he join the same team as his son Bronny?

Reports suggest that Lakers star’s main objective is to share the court with his son in the best basketball league in the world and he would be willing to earn less money in order to fulfil that dream. Bronny recently declared himself available for the 2024 NBA Draft, meaning that wherever he ends up could be where his father goes.

“I need to be on the floor with my boy,” LeBron told ESPN in January 2023. “I got to be on the floor with Bronny. Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him...I don’t mean like guarding one another all game - because he’s a point guard and I’m a - at this point now I’m playing center or whatever the team needs from me. But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.”

The game between the Nuggets and the Lakers will be played on Saturday April 27 with tip-off at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT. You can follow all the drama on AS USA as it unfolds in Los Angeles.

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