Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will become a free agent this summer. As a result, he has a ton of leverage to weild in L.A. – particularly if Jeanie Buss and Co. want to re-sign him.
This week, James used some of that sway to reveal which head coach he wants the front office to replace Darvin Ham with.
A few days later, James went on his podcast and sent a massive hint about which superstar he wanted L.A. to try and acquire.
Subtlety doesn’t appear to be his strong suit.
“He’s one of my favorites,” James said of Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen.
“One of my favorites.. he’s been a LeBron supporter for a long time, I love that guy he’s so good”
– LeBron on Lauri Markkanen
Via – @mindthegamepod pic.twitter.com/h2nUPUwU8o
— ²³ (@SpeakContext) May 1, 2024
Erik Spoelstra’s Ex-Wife Nikki Celebrates Heat Loss With Thirst Traps https://t.co/2MAQWT8UZp
— Game 7 (@game7__) April 30, 2024
“He’s been a LeBron supporter for a long time. He wears my shoes, till this year, and then Nike came out with something. We got some talks to do, in the Nike world. But I love that guy, he’s so good.”
NBA Twitter had some strong reactions to what James was doing here:
LETS GOOO HES A LAKER
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) May 1, 2024
this would be a great fit man
— mike🛸 (@xMichaelx21) May 1, 2024
I wanted LA to trade for him lol, he’s a perfect fit
— Jay (@jaylikeshoes) May 1, 2024
Big picture, the Lakers have a big summer ahead of them if they want to keep James in purple and gold.
Will the Lakers front office ultimately heed James’ hints and do something to bring Markkanen to Los Angeles? Time will tell.
Related: Chris Paul Frontrunner Emerges If He Leaves Warriors
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
