LeBron and Paul George in a Package Deal to the Lakers in ... July 2019?

The Lakers have started the season 1-2, and besides monitoring the development of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, every time the Lakers play, I can’t help but wonder: Is LeBron really going to join this group?

Pro: When LeBron went from Cleveland to Miami, the Heat had one star (Dwyane Wade) and added another (Chris Bosh). When LeBron went from Miami to Cleveland, the Cavs had one star (Kyrie Irving) and added another (Kevin Love).

Con: Wade was an established star who had already won a title in Miami; Kyrie had just been MVP of the All-Star game who averaged 20.6 ppg during the season.

The Lakers don’t have an established star yet … so maybe LeBron waits a year to move to LA?

I had Brian Windhorst on my radio show Saturday, and he offered this (105:00 mark):

"Remember, LeBron has an option in his contract. He has the option of signing another 1-year contract in Cleveland. If you’re the Lakers, it may not just be a 1-year window. It may be a 2-year window. Especially if you think of the concept they may not be able to get their books cleaned up enough in the next year. It may take two years to really offer themselves the pitch. Paul George has the same thing. He has the option of just picking up another year in his contract. The timing may be right in June, but it may be June 2019."

It’s not what Lakers fans want to hear. But in the event they can’t find a taker for Luol Deng and Julius Randle to create the necessary cap room, perhaps they have to wait until 2019. The problem, of course, is that if the Lakers can’t pull it off in 2018, it gives the rest of the NBA another year to create their own cap room and sell LeBron and Paul George on the idea of coming to their city.

Hustle up, Magic. Get creative. Create the cap room sooner than later.