Shams says Lakers and LeBron James may part ways in two months

According to US sports media F/W reporter Chaitanya Dadwar. James' future has become one of the biggest storylines this summer. After James scored $52.6 million in player option, his agent Ritchie Paul claimed that James wanted to compete for the championship, and he knew the Lakers were rebuilding around Doncic. This mysterious statement from Paul sparked rumors of James' trade because it shows that James and the Lakers are not on the same starting line.

After multiple speculations about James' future, Charania, a senior NBA insider, took to Sirius XM's NBA radio show and predicted a potential timeline that could determine James' future. He claims that it may be as early as before the upcoming season begins in October.

"When Doncic swaps with Davis, the moment of that deal, it's like 'Well, AD is now joining a winner team in Dallas; Doncic is the face of the team for the next eight to ten years, and that's really his vision. But whenever you're in Los Angeles, the Lakers, the goal is to compete for the championship. That team is actually competing at home; even after the deal, they end up staying there, so that sets some expectations." Charania noted that the Lakers' offseason moves show that they're still figuring out how to compete, rather than making a blueprint for winning.

"James, on the other hand, is 40 years old, he's going to be 41, and he's trying to fight for the championship next season, and he's already very clear about that." His agent Ritchie Paul told me very directly that he wants a realistic opportunity to compete for the championship. So, whether he has one, two or three years left, he wants to enter that mode. He obviously feels that the Lakers' mentality is more futuristic. Where did you go? If one side says I want to compete for the championship, and the other side wants to compete for the future---whether on the road we see, where will this meet? I think this will happen in the next two months and I think it will eventually need to have some tough conversations there. ”

Ideally, the start of the season is the best time for James to tell if the Lakers formed roster is really competitive. However, Charania believes he can decide as early as the next few months, even before the season begins. Entering his 23rd season in the NBA, James’ average figures are still at the all-NBA level. He averaged 24.5 points, 8.0 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 75 games (70 regular season games, 5 playoff games) last season. He could still be a valuable contributor to any team looking to compete for the championship.

Then the question is: Who wants to be in a 40 Invest in a year-old player to sacrifice the team's future to make the decision to win now? If the Lakers find the answer to this question, if they think James no longer fits their vision for the team's future, then they should consider trading James to that team. Four teams who have been leaked have asked about the possibility of acquiring James but none of them have made substantial progress, but as James's relationship with management deteriorates will only lead to events that happen to the transaction. What do you think?