When LeBron James officially becomes a free agent this summer, he will face a big decision. He can stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, move to another team or simply retire. Many people around the NBA feel he will not retire yet, and the thinking is that if he does leave the Lakers, he will probably return to the Cleveland Cavaliers for one final go-around with his original team.
James said on a recent episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast that he hasn’t truly begun the process of deciding what will come next for him, and that the process could drag into August. Some people likely don’t believe him, and one of those people is ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins, who said on “First Take” that he thinks the 41-year-old has already decided his next move and that James simply wants the attention (h/t Lakers Daily).
“We took the bait,” said Perkins. “… He caught the attention that he wanted while his [expletive] is sitting at home. I’ve been knowing Bron all my life. He moves like the president. He already has a plan in place. He know what he’s doing. He know what his next move in. He know what the counter is gonna be. He know where he wanna go, where he wanna be, if he wanna be on the Lakers. He already know that.”
An argument could be made that, based on media reports, James planned both of his exits from Cleveland and his departure from the Miami Heat well in advance. It is anyone’s guess whether he has already decided to either stay with the Lakers or join a different team.
He is still playing at a superstar level, and the Lakers would offer him the luxury of being able to kick back during the regular season as their third scoring option, which would allow him to conserve his energy. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, could offer him a slightly easier path to the NBA Finals and the option for a sentimental farewell tour.
NBA teams can start legally negotiating with free agents on June 30. A big question is how much money the Lakers will offer James after he made $52.6 million this season. They could have roughly $50 million in salary cap space, but some of that money will probably go toward signing at least one of their other free agents, such as Austin Reaves, Luke Kennard and Rui Hachimura.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Kendrick Perkins: LeBron James has already decided on his future
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
