For an amount approaching 100 million dollars, LeBron James has extended his adventure with the Lakers for two more seasons. A relief in Los Angeles and among the fans, who hope that the King will play a decisive role in winning a new title. However, the interested party hesitated, all because of a very specific reason.
At 37, and 38 by the end of the year, LeBron James remains a player definitely apart. If Anthony Davis will be the key player for the Lakers next season, the leaders know that they have no chance of winning anything without the King. This Wednesday’s news was therefore greeted with a big smile, since the Akron native has decided to extend his adventure to Los Angeles for two more seasons, once morest 97.1 million dollars.
Absolutely crazy emoluments for a player of his age, but once more, James is not anyone. The Angelinos badly need him and wanted to do what was necessary to keep him, even if there were doubts. As a reminder, the former Heat player might have signed this extension in early August, but wanted to delay. The reason ? He obviously wanted reassurance from Rob Pelinka.
LeBron’s big mark of confidence for the Lakers
As some suspected, James played on his status to put some pressure on his leaders. Before putting his signature on a piece of paper, he wanted to be sure that Pelinka was doing what was necessary to improve the roster before the resumption. He did not expect anything concrete, which is a certain sign of confidence. Nevertheless, he expects further changes in the near future, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
Several people at the Lakers were confident regarding an extension for James, taking into account the fact that he is happy to play for the Lakers and just live in Los Angeles. The main complication was that James’ decision was tied to improving that roster, with the Kyrie Irving trade, sources told The Athletic.
Yes, James is still demanding the arrival of Irving to his leaders, who no doubt hope to find a solution before the resumption of September. Number 6 did not wait for the exchange to extend, proof that he is confident, but he is waiting for results:
Some believe James used his extension as leverage. He might have forced the Lakers to make a trade, much like he has done in the past. Instead, he signed on for two more years, regardless of whether Russell Westbrook’s trade takes place before the resumption.
LeBron James extends his adventure with the Lakers well, even if he wanted guarantees from Rob Pelinka. He wants to stay in Los Angeles, but wants an improved roster to dream of the title, with a Kyrie Irving at the top of the list. It is now up to the front office to finish the job.
