Contractually speaking the Lakers have a hold of LeBron for the next two seasons.
This isn’t a regular player though and we know how much power LeBron wields if he demands a trade the Lakers would be hard press not to give in.
With that being said at this point it is all speculation. Here is what was said via CBS Sports.
Speaking on The Sedano Show, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin both said they have reason to believe the Lakers are skating on thin ice with LeBron, who could feasibly want to part ways with the Lakers prematurely should they fail to put together a championship-contending roster in the very near future. Here are the comments worth noting from the show:
Bill Plaschke: I’m hearing that if they whiff on free agency, and if they whiff on a trade, which I don’t know how likely that is, but if that happens, they’ve got big trouble with LeBron. I mean the LeBron era could be over before it starts here.
Dave McMenamin: Everyone I speak to associated with LeBron, they are holding the rope for now, and all they can do is be positive because this is going to be a crucial five-week stretch. But on the other side of that, if it’s July 10th in Los Angeles and it’s Nic Vucevic [that the Lakers have had to settle for], or whomever does not meet the criterion of bringing in a star who can make them an immediate contender, you could only imagine where things could go.
Plaschke: I heard this for the first time yesterday, somebody very connected said ‘You know what, if they whiff, LeBron’s going to say either I’m out of here or get me out of here, or the Lakers just might as well just get him out of here.’ So this is huge.
The Nic Vucevic disrespect is real.
Flip the page for video of what LeBron might be thinking.