LeBron James has an uncertain future with the Los Angeles Lakers, making his demands clear.
A temporary fix has been in place for LeBron James to be with La Lakers. That’s very conditional.
LeBron opted in in the final year of his contract, warning that Representative Rich Paul’s statement “I want to assess what is best for LeBron at this stage of his life and career.”
The warning is that if La Lakers cannot deliver the roster he wants, LeBron could demand trade or even retire.
If he decides to abandon his non-trade clauses and publicly seek an exit, there is a team that jumps at the opportunity to trade with LeBron James.
But first, the Lakers will have the opportunity to build their roster. And that should at least mean hanging down on their main players.
The Lakers traded for the Dorian Finney Smith midseason and sent Dangelo Russell to Brooklyn Net.
Finney Smith was one of the few players trusted by manager JJ Reddick in the playoffs. However, his future is unknown.
After LeBron’s decision, news broke that Finney-Smith had rejected the $15 million player option.
There are two reasons for this, and Finney-Smith gives the opportunity to agree to a long-term extension in LA. He can also test the market with other teams.
The pressure on general manager Rob Perinka is to get the deal done.
LeBron James now has Rob Perlinka in the corner box. The Lakers GM must make the Lakers stronger and weaker.
LeBron has high praise for Finney Smith and would be disappointed if he didn’t come back.
Speaking about this past season after beating the Mavericks, LeBron said:
“We knew we got things with box scores, and there’s something that didn’t show up in box scores. He’s just a winner and plays a victory.”
Losing a “winner” like Finney Smith would be seen as an immediate setback by LeBron James and his camp.
And it doesn’t work with Luka Donsic, the Lakers are trying to build. The pair are nearby and have previously played together for Dallas.