The Klutch Sports Group announced on Sunday evening that four-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA finals MVP, fourteen-time NBA All Star, and two-time Olympic gold medalist LeBron James has agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 2018 NBA free agency period got under way when Paul George, who was expected to sign with the Lakers, surprisingly opted to return to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a four-year, $137 million max deal with a player option.
It was assumed that by George not signing with the Lakers, that would delay LeBron’s thought process as he assessed what type of talent Magic Johnson and the Lakers management would be able to surround him with.
But the Lake show revival is reportedly underway with the breaking news of LeBron now taking his talents to Hollywood.
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While details are still developing, and the true impact of who might be coming with him via trades and other free agent signings, this is the first major move for the Lakers in recent years and definitely the first major deal with Magic and Rob Pelinka running the show.
For right now, James will be joining Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma. But Lakers fans better not get too attached to anyone on their roster, as no one is untouchable. With Kawhi Leonard trade talks swirling, and other major free agents like Demarcus Cousins still looking for a home, the restructuring of the Lakers is truly just getting started.
The Shadow League will keep you updated as more continues to develop.
James’ move to the Lakers comes four years after he went back home to Cleveland. He thanked his home area on Instagram, saying, “Thank you Northeast Ohio for an incredible 4 seasons. This will always be home.”
LeBron, along with the incredible play of Kyrie Irving, delivered the city of Cleveland’s first championship in 52 years when the Cavaliers become the first team in NBA Finals history to rally from a 3-1 series deficit to win it all. The team they beat, the Golden State Warriors, had the best regular season record in league history at 73-9.
And LeBron’s chase-down of Andre Iguodala to block his layup from behind in a tied ballgame, erasing a go-ahead layup, will forever remain one of the NBA’s signature championship moments.
And now, the next chapter in his incredible career begins in Los Angeles. Stay tuned.
