LeBron James To The Lakers Appears Unlikely According To Report

LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers? It’s a connection many have been making for months. But a new report on ESPN suggests the Lakers may be a long-shot to ink King James to a deal this offseason.

Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst combined to write a long feature that suggests James’ path to Los Angeles is anything but paved. The Lakers are a rebuilding team, and while they could have the money to sign LeBron and another max player, it’s not likely they will be able to do so.

LeBron has gone out of his way to praise Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball on a number of occasions, and he has a number of connections in Los Angeles and with the Lakers. But given where LA sits right now as a team, it’s going to be extremely difficult to convince a 33-year-old James that the Purple and Gold can compete for a championship next season.

The Lakers have a really nice collection of young talent. Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Larry Nance Jr. and Ball form an exciting foursome, while guys like Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac and Thomas Bryant have plenty of potential. Then there are the more established guys like Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle who could be really nice pieces on a competitive roster. But those guys are all still young and need plenty of development.

James is at a spot in his career where he’s not going to want to wait. He wants to win now and the Lakers don’t currently look like a team that could challenge the upper-tier of the Western Conference even with LeBron in the fold.

Here’s the bottom line: no one knows what LeBron James is going to do this summer. No one knows what the NBA’s landscape will even look like by then. Things could change dramatically in the next few months. That said, at the moment it appears unlikely LeBron will be going to Hollywood.