NBA free agency is almost here, and already the Los Angeles Lakers have problems. It wouldn't be an offseason without some LeBron James drama, and his agent, Rich Paul, just delivered it.
After opting into his team option, Rich Paul raised eyebrows and questions about LeBron's future with his comments.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all," Rich Paul said.
The Lakers aren't that far off from competing for a championship, but it's clear that they aren't building around LeBron any longer. If LeBron doesn't believe that the Lakers can compete in a brutal Western Conference, then he might look to play elsewhere.
The Los Angeles Lakers are under intense pressure
The Lakers have limited tools to improve in free agency, but the Portland Trail Blazers gifted the Lakers a potential starting center in Deandre Ayton. Landing a legit starting-caliber center for what could amount to the taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.6 million would be huge for the Lakers.
However, they are likely to lose Dorian Finney-Smith after acquiring him four months ago for four second-round picks. In theory, swapping out Finney-Smith for Ayton would be a win.
But, considering that they were light on picks to begin with, essentially burning those picks isn't nothing. They have other potential moves to make, such as trading for Phoenix Suns center Nick Richards in addition to potentially signing Ayton.
The Lakers may have to trade LeBron James is unhappy
But it's unclear whether that will be enough to sway LeBron. Ironically, LeBron's decision to opt into the final year of his contract actually hurts the Lakers' chances of building a contender around him and Luka Dončić.
Improving their center rotation would help to bolster their roster and should help them, considering it's their weakest position. Whether that will help them against teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets is still a big question mark.
If LeBron believes that they can't, then he could always request a trade, possibly to the Eastern Conference, where it would be a far easier path to the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers would be a potential landing spot, or perhaps even the Miami Heat, both of his old teams.
All in all, the Lakers have a lot of work to do to improve their roster to keep LeBron happy. If they can't, then they could be forced to trade him, with Paul's comments making that seem a reality.