It seems as if LeBron James doesn’t end his NBA career this summer, the team he’s most likely to play for next season is the Los Angeles Lakers, the team he has called home for the last eight years. But there has been speculation for months that he could return to the Cleveland Cavaliers or perhaps the Golden State Warriors once he officially becomes a free agent this Tuesday.
But after a report in the Miami Herald suggested that the Miami Heat could try to snag James, the Heat have emerged as something of a dark horse candidate to sign the future Hall of Famer. They can only offer him the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of roughly $15 million, but as Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha said on “The Herd w/ Colin Cowherd,” James could head back to South Florida if he feels L.A.’s offer isn’t big enough.
“If the Lakers decide ‘hey we’re gonna go pursue these restricted free agents or we’re gonna make a trade for somebody and now only have X amount of money left over for you, I could see that being offensive to LeBron and him being like ‘Alright, well if you’re gonna pay me $15 million or whatever, I’ll just go get that from Miami or Golden State or San Antonio or somewhere like that.’ … If the negotiations sour, and they just decide it’s not the right fit, then obviously I think Miami would be one of the top suitors.”
James was paid $52.6 million by the Lakers for this season, and virtually no one expects them to offer him that type of money for next season. They obviously want to upgrade a roster that won 53 regular-season games and got swept in the second round of the playoffs this season, and paying James more than a certain amount could make doing so virtually impossible.
One could argue that James is exactly what Miami needs to instantly become a championship contender now that it will be getting another future Hall of Famer in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Other than three-time All-Star big man Bam Adebayo, Miami isn’t assured of having any other major building blocks on its roster for next season, and James would give it the second or third scoring option, as well as the floor general and veteran leader it would need.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers beat writer on what could cause LeBron James to join the Heat
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
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By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
