Lakers preparing to repeat historic mistake with their superstar
The Los Angeles Lakers are busy planning their future now that the offseason has begun. LeBron James is, of course, the most uncertain player at the moment.
The most significant event that will essentially set up everything else the front office attempts to accomplish this summer is if he rejoins the company.
If James returns, the Lakers may prepare to run it back with their core of LeBron and Anthony Davis while, theoretically, their championship window is still open by adding a few supporting players.
In the event that he leaves, management will need to refocus and decide on their course of action.
But according to Dave McMenamin, it seems the Lakers will make every effort to keep LeBron in the city throughout the offseason. The Lakers are determined to make every effort to get him back, according to the ESPN NBA Reporter.
In an interview with The Rich Eisen Show, McMenamin stated, “The Lakers intend to have LeBron James come back on whatever terms he wants to, whether that be a one-year deal, two-year deal, three-year deal, whatever.”
“They would love to continue to have LeBron in the Purple and Gold until he calls it quits, whenever that may be.”
Overpaying for LeBron could handicap the Lakers
Though in theory it makes sense to intentionally bring back your star, the Lakers’ approach to doing so raises some red flags.
Should they be willing to give LeBron everything in order to get him back, the financial strain might have a detrimental long-term effect on Los Angeles.
Thanks to history, we are aware that this is a possibility. Kobe Bryant committed to the Lakers for three years at a cost of $90 million in 2010, a deal that kept him with the team through the 2013–14 campaign.
He then inked a second, two-year contract extension in 2013 for nearly $50 million, keeping him under contract until the 2015–16 season, at which point he naturally retired.
Although Bryant is undoubtedly one of the most adored players in Lakers history, the team’s decision to sign Kobe to these two consecutive contracts effectively forced LA into a rebuild since it made it more difficult for them to attract other players with higher salaries.
The Lakers might be about to make history again, and not in a good way.
It might be very bad news if LeBron asks for a two-year, $90 million contract and the Lakers grant it to him.
Even at his advanced age, James is still a fantastic player, but he cannot bring this club a title by himself. In all honesty, he no longer merits that price tag, just as Kobe did not towards the end of his career. The Lakers might live to rue this error for many years.