LeBron James was the last player many expected would be in conversations about moving on from the Los Angeles Lakers. However, with an option for an extension still hanging in the balance, there has been a lot of conversation regarding where James’ future might lie. His decision to play alongside his son Bronny for a season means that many do expect that LeBron might be on the move soon.
And while there aren’t that many destinations that James can go to, there will be teams that would be very happy to have even a 39-year-old LeBron on the roster. Although LeBron is likely to re-sign with the Lakers, if he does go to another franchise, there will be existing players that are younger that might not be completely okay with letting him run the show. At least, that’s what some analysts like Freddie Coleman think.
“LeBron James has to get used to something like this,” Coleman said. “If you’re gonna move away from the Los Angeles Lakers, wherever you go, that doesn’t mean they’re gonna move heaven and earth for you. You’re gonna have to go and be a complementary piece, even though you’re still great.
“You don’t have to worry about that in the Lakers. You’re still the dude in Los Angeles. But if you want to move out of LA, you wanna be part of a building program. You wanna play for your son. There’s gonna be some caveats you’re gonna have to deal with. One of those caveats is, wherever you go, you’re not gonna be the guy at 38, 39, 40 years old of age.
“If you’re that guy, that doesn’t mean the basketball team is any good competing for a championship, no matter how great LeBron is. That’s something that he may have to wrap his head around.”
This is a difficult situation to judge for anyone. It’s hard to imagine James not being the main guy on any team he goes to. The league is getting younger, though, and a lot of stars are emerging, even teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers seem to have players ready to break out. This is simply a bridge James will have to cross when he gets to it.
