Much has been made about LeBron James’ future at the Los Angeles Lakers past the current season and the expiry of his player option. While retirement looks unlikely, a number of teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks have been linked to the 41-year-old.
However, can the Los Angeles Clippers also sneak into this list? While it is as unlikely as it seems, a recent ESPN story considers multiple factors that may as well push him towards the Lakers’ city rivals.
First and foremost, the NBA continues to investigate the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard in reference to the Aspiration saga, with plenty of speculation about the kind of punishment that the league may hand out. With the expectation being that the league will void Leonard’s contract, LeBron can indeed sign with the Clippers for more money than what the Lakers would offer him.
However, this comes alongside the fact that James himself has shown no inclination to even consider the move. At the recent All-Star game held at Intuit Dome, James had a rather cold reply when asked how he felt playing at the arena.
“Nothing, because this is not our building. Nothing at all. This is a road game,” he had said.
Regardless, another driving factor may as well prove to be James’ history with the Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. Not only did James win a championship under Lue back in 2016 at the Cleveland Cavaliers, he also advocated for his hiring at the Lakers back in 2019.
At the same time, while there is obvious history and Leonard’s punishment may make a move financially viable, the overall potential for this one actually bearing fruition appears bleak at best. Further, LeBron is more than likely to sign for a team that has a chance of winning the championship, and it is unclear whether the Clippers, especially in the absence of Leonard, will be able to emerge as contenders next campaign.
