With eleventh place in the West in the regular season, the Lakers' 21-22 season has ended early with the end of the regular season. Compared with the heroic ambition to win the championship in the summer of 21 years, the Lakers' ending this season is undoubtedly disappointing. The introduction of Westbrook did not restore the Lakers' strength in the 19-20 season, but made the team completely lose its chemical understanding. After this bad season, the Lakers not only have to determine the new coach as soon as possible, but also need to consider how to send Westbrook's contract away and rebuild a more powerful lineup. However, in addition to these Lakers, it seems that they are facing some new troubles now. According to well-known journalist Sam Asik, Lakers star LeBron James appears to be considering leaving the team.
After winning the championship in the 19-20 season, James reached an early contract extension with the Lakers. The contract expires in 2023, which means there is still one season left. Before the start of the season, everyone believed that James and the Lakers would renew their contracts again in the summer of '22 using the early renewal clause, but now things seem to have changed. According to Sam' report, James and his team are considering rejecting a two-year, $97 million extension that the Lakers will propose this summer, and James hopes to enter the market again as a full free agent at the age of 38. Looking at James's career so far, it's not hard to see that he rarely played on a team for more than four years. In fact, in addition to the seven seasons with the Cavaliers early in their careers, the Lakers will become the second longest consecutive team in James' career next season for five seasons.
It's no secret that the Lakers' current state is disappointing James, who hinted at the possibility of other options as early as the All-Star Weekend in early '22. Because the Lakers gave out multiple first-round picks at once in a deal to get Anthony Davis, they had no first-round picks available 26 years ago. In other words, Westbrook's contract has become the only chip the Lakers can strengthen, and this chip is obviously not good enough. Once the Lakers can't get back to the championship next season, James will most likely leave the team in the summer of 23. Of course, some media believe that James's move is putting pressure on the Lakers, hoping that the Lakers will use all possible ways to strengthen the team this summer. This is not the first time James has put pressure on the team by expiring his contract, and he has used this way to force the team to bring in reinforcements when he was in the Cavaliers.
When James signed with the Lakers in 18 years, it was not expected that the legendary star could still maintain the top competitiveness of the league at the age of 37. James has averaged nearly 30 points per game this season, plus a comprehensive stat of seven rebounds and seven assists, which makes him still a hot target in the free agency market. However, this also gives birth to another possibility, if James and his team really refuse to renew their contracts with the Lakers in advance as reported, then it is not excluded that the Lakers will try to peddle him this summer. After all, compared to losing James in vain a year later, the Lakers definitely hope to get some compensation through the trade. It is worth noting that this may be the first time james has been traded by the team in his career. Do fans and friends think that the cooperation between the Lakers and James should continue? Welcome to discuss and communicate in the comments section!