LeBron James‘ super agent, Rich Paul, spoke on his podcast about what went into James’ decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and become an official free agent this summer.
Rich Paul Speaks on LeBron James Leaving the Lakers
James shocked the sports world this week after it was reported that he informed the Los Angeles Lakers he would not return. James spent eight seasons in LA helping bring home a championship, and even though rumors circulated that he could leave the Lakers, the most likely conclusion was that he’d stay another season.
Paul revealed the discussions he and James had about deciding what he would do for this upcoming season. He explained that the conversations were different this time around as opposed to the three other times James decided to leave via free agency. Paul let James know he was entering year 24, and with all he had accomplished so far in his career, he didn’t owe anyone anything except wanting to make himself happy.
“When we went through the process, we got to a place where happiness was the most important thing,” Paul said. “I told him, great, well, let’s figure out what that all means for you. We knew that it couldn’t be about the most money because the place he could earn the most money doesn’t mean he’d be the happiest there.”
Paul revealed that a few weeks ago, when he checked in with James about how he felt about returning to LA, he was at 80 percent for returning. But as time went on, James felt less and less likely that LA would be the best place for him to return.
“Once we got down to it, even though he knew he could probably make the most money staying, for me, where I am at today, that’s probably not the best thing for me to do,” Paul said. “I asked him if he was sure, and he said yes.”
Ultimately, after James decided to go in a different direction, his representation informed the Lakers so they could move forward with future roster plans. Paul said the Lakers wanted to keep James, but James had already decided not to return.
LeBron Wants To Compete For Championships
As his career comes to an end, James wants to be able to maximize his chances of playing for an NBA title. Paul has said 12-14 teams have already reached out about James ‘ interest in joining their team.
Paul went on to say that the market size of an NBA team doesn’t really matter at this point about James decision. Yes, James would like to be comfortable, but whether the team was in a small or big market wouldn’t be the deciding factor.
Best Team Fits For LeBron
Even though Paul mentioned that over a dozen teams have reached out to him, only a couple could realistically be a good fit for James.
The Golden State Warriors have already been positioning themselves to make a run at James, and they are on the short list of teams that make sense. He has chemistry playing with Stephen Curry in the Olympics, and James would not have to feel the pressure of being the top dog on the team.
The Miami Heat have also built a solid core after trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo. James’ familiarity with the Heat franchise, having played there for four seasons, will definitely help.
The Cleveland Cavaliers would be the storybook ending for James. It also helps that they have been one of the better regular-season teams in the Eastern Conference the last couple of years under coach Kenny Atkinson. Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and James Harden make for an intriguing team to join.
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