LeBron James has a big decision to make with regard to his future this offseason and Anthony Davis hopes to convince him to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers. After their elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, Davis was asked if he would recruit James to stay with the Lakers.
“Absolutely, I feel like we complement each other, we have done something special together,” Davis said. “Good thing about it, I’m going to be with him all summer, so have a lot of conversations and things like that. He know how I feel about him… If he kind of asks my opinion or whenever we talk about it, I’m obviously going to try to recruit him back.”
(starts at 2:04 mark):
Davis and James will be spending a lot of the NBA offseason together as they are on Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. I am sure the big man will try his best to convince the 20-time All-Star to extend his stay in Los Angeles.
Davis also mentioned that he would support LeBron no matter what he decides to do. The 31-year-old stated James wants to win championships in what little time he has left in the league and believes they can win together on the Lakers.
It was just last season, of course, that Davis and James led LA all the way to the Western Conference Finals. They were one of the final four left standing but got swept by the Nuggets.
Denver then eliminated LA once again this season in five games and it’s clear changes need to be made if that script is to be flipped. Davis averaged 27.8 points, 15.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game in this series against the Nuggets and James played well too, but it still wasn’t enough, so a roster revamp of sorts is needed.
The Lakers do have the assets to pull off a big move for a star and it will be interesting to see what they plan to do. Those plans might well determine what James does as well.
LeBron has a player option worth $51.4 million for 2024-25 and he is expected to opt out of that. He would then be free to go wherever he pleases and if the Lakers’ front office isn’t able to put in place moves to significantly improve the team, he might just pack his bags.
LeBron declined to comment about his future with the Lakers during his press conference when asked if Game 5 was his last outing for the franchise. He was never going to give a clear answer at this point, so it wasn’t a surprise. If I had to make a prediction, though, I think he will end up staying.
The Lakers Will Also Reportedly Go To Great Lengths To Keep LeBron James in LA
While Davis will be recruiting James during the summer, the team itself seems to have made it clear they’ll do whatever it takes to keep him around as well. The Lakers are reportedly open to offering LeBron a three-year, $164 million max extension and drafting Bronny James.
While the size and length of that deal might seem a bit much for a 39-year-old, the fact is LeBron isn’t like most men of that age. He just averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in the regular season and certainly has gas left in the tank.
If the Lakers offer him that deal, draft Bronny, and make some good moves, then LeBron wouldn’t really have a reason to leave. You would think his family would ideally prefer him to stay as well, as they are now well-settled in LA.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
