Labor Day is almost upon us. All over the country kids have gone back to school. It's even starting to cool down. Summer is all but over, and what a summer it was for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. As we approach September, though, it's abundantly clear that, awkward as things got, both sides need each other and it behooves everyone to end on good terms.
The summer months got off to a weird start when Rich Paul gave that infamous statement to ESPN about James opting into the final year of his contract. It felt to several voices around the league like James was soft launching a departure from the Lakers, but then, nothing else really happened.
Sure, there were a couple tweets or Instagram posts that could've been interpreted any which way, but sources close to both sides stressed all summer that at no point did James approach the Lakers about a trade or buyout.
Rob Pelinka hasn't exactly doused any flames by only mentioning James when asked specifically about him or by using some rather loud “ifs” regarding James' future in the league or with the Lakers.
From the Lakers' side of things, they have remained very aware that James still has a lot to offer on the court. He's coming off an All-NBA season and was one of very few Lakers to acquit himself well in that ugly five-game series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sources close to the team made it clear all summer no trade exists that would make them a better team, let alone one that James would waive his no-trade clause for.
Pelinka is also kicking off the Luka Doncic era and would not want to do so with a worse roster than he finished the year with last season. Trading James would've almost assuredly led to this outcome. For his part, league sources also indicated Doncic did not want James traded, but also understood James needing to figure out what was best for him the last couple seasons of his career.
As reported last week, Doncic and James have maintained communication over the summer about how best to maximize their opportunity together.
James has focused, sources say, on making himself more dangerous off the ball. He has spent time getting more comfortable catching and shooting offensively and has spent even more time getting his body ready to focus more of his energy on the defensive side of the ball as Doncic will handle the primary offensive load.
LeBron James' future outlook with Lakers
Looking ahead, James saw how a player's final years can be impacted if he leaves the Lakers on bad terms. Anthony Davis was welcomed back with open arms after being traded for Doncic. Russell Westbrook, on the other hand, is hoping that the Sacramento Kings can find a buyer for Malik Monk so that he can have a job next season.
James has big dreams for his post-playing business career. If Lakers fans turn on him and don't offer the support they've offered Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and others, it does change the outlook somewhat of those endeavors.
The other reality here is that James doesn't have many (if any) basketball options better than he has in Los Angeles. Winning a championship as a buyout minimum signing wouldn't be the best look for his legacy, so that's not an option.
As mentioned above, the Lakers aren't going to accept just any trade for James, so the kind of imbalanced fleecing it would take to land him on a championship favorite is also not happening.
Work still needs to be done to the roster to put the Lakers in the upper echelon of contenders, but it's also hard to argue they haven't had a successful summer. They also maintained the flexibility necessary to improve if (or when) the situation calls for it.
If the concern is what happens after this season, couldn't the Lakers outline to James their plans to pair Doncic with another superstar? If James is going to have to take a big pay cut to go to a team that might be closer to a championship, couldn't he just do exactly that to win another ring in L.A., this time alongside his son?
Yes, the cap machinations will get tricky as Austin Reaves will likely garner a raise this summer and the Lakers intend to maintain as much flexibility as they can so as to present a real threat to land Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic, but if they can pull that off, why wouldn't James want to be a part of that team?
A final factor is the lack of motion James' statement led to around the league when he made it. Yes, some teams checked in, according to reports, but no one was falling over themselves to rebuild their roster in an effort to land James via trade. Speculation about James' future made for great conversation over cocktails at Las Vegas Summer League, but it never led to any substantial movement around the league.
So if no one is looking to do everything necessary to land James and still present a better chance at a championship, isn't James best off remaining close to his family in Los Angeles and hoping that the Lakers figure out a way to give him that shot?
And thus, we remain here, where the Lakers and James have come to realize they both needed each other to achieve their goals. James is still a damn good option to help kickstart the Doncic era for the Lakers. The Lakers still check the most boxes for James. So, it's on both sides to make the best of the still-rather-good opportunity in front of them.
