The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled mightily this season. That in turn has prompted legitimate questions about LeBron James’ future with the franchise.
At 37 years old, he only has a few seasons remaining in his career – and they can’t be wasted on a team going nowhere.
There was some chatter a few weeks back about James rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, all signs point to the interest being very one-sided.
This past week, an interesting question arose: would James ever consider leaving the Lakers, but remaining in LA, and joining forces with the Clippers?
ESPN NBA insider Zach Lowe addressed that very question during a recent episode of his podcast.
“I actually have floated this to some people who might know, would LeBron ever go to the Clippers?” Lowe said. “And the answer was, ‘hard no, hard no.’”
James is obviously under contract with the Lakers through the 2022-23 season, but he is eligible to sign an extension this summer.
During a press conference last month, he strongly proclaimed that he wants to remain in Los Angeles long-term.
“This is the franchise that I see myself being with,” James said. “…I’m here, I’m here, I continue to tell you guys… I literally live in the moment. I do, I live in the moment and I see myself being with the purple and gold as long as I can play. But I also have a goal that, if it’s possible, I don’t even know if it’s possible, but if I can play with my son, I would love to do that.”
James’ relationship with the Lakers has seen better days. His riffs with the front office are a matter of public record at this point, as is the fact that team owner Jeanie Buss had to put him in his place a few weeks ago.
Yikes. https://t.co/GUcayMfHWf
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 14, 2022
It’s unclear at this juncture what team James will ultimately be playing for next year, but this much is now an established fact: it won’t be the Clippers.
Related: Adrian Wojnarowski Gives Lakers Crucial Anthony Davis Injury Update
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
