As was the case last year, LeBron James’ open NBA future will be one of the defining topics of the offseason. According to his agent, the Los Angeles Lakers’ exceptional talent is on the wish list of 10 to 12 teams. However, one of his colleagues from the best basketball league in the world has his doubts as to whether the 41-year-old will even continue.
For the first time in his career, LeBron James is spending a summer as an unrestricted free agent. Accordingly, the 41-year-old is free to choose where he will play in the coming season, provided he sticks around for another year. The NBA is obviously well aware of this. According to his agent Rich Paul, there is no shortage of interested teams.
On the “Pat McAfee Show” he put the number of teams that had contacted him about a possible commitment of his protégé at “around ten to twelve”. But he also emphasized: “The numbers that are mentioned, what we supposedly demand: That’s all wrong. We haven’t had discussions with a single team yet. I’ll give him the time he needs. If he wants to talk, we’ll talk.”
Green doesn’t believe in LeBron changing within the NBA
Nobody can claim to know James’ plans, “because even I don’t know them,” said Paul: “Don’t believe anything that’s written there. I haven’t had a single conversation with him yet. This will be a decision for him that will be made with the entire family.” LeBron’s NBA colleague and good friend, Draymond Green, from the Golden State Warriors, has an idea.
“I try not to mix personal relationships and basketball and not to cross those lines, but I think from what I see, it’s not about whether he moves to another team or not. I think it’s about whether he continues playing or not,” the Dubs superstar said in the latest episode of his podcast.
He “doesn’t assume that he’ll go to Phoenix or move to the Golden State Warriors – I don’t see that happening,” Green added. In an interview with Time, James had actually ruled out an imminent end to his career. At the moment the motivation is still there: “Hell, yes. After all, I’m sitting here and talking to them, and I have training in an hour.”
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