Los Angeles Lakers would only give max contract to LeBron James
By Josh Hill
The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to rebuild their roster but they’re not interested in going about doing so in a traditional sense. Los Angeles wants to win now and they want to assemble an A-Team of superstars to do so.
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As NBA scribe Kevin Ding points out, the Lakers aren’t looking to squander their max contract this offseason and view only one player as worthy of receiving it — LeBron James
"James is the only potential free agent in this summer’s class the Lakers are viewing as a max-salary, home run guy—and their entire approach to their salary-cap space is not to fritter it away on anyone who isn’t a sure thing."
We’ve all heard the rumors and stories about how the Lakers think they can fit both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony on the same roster but we need to pump the brakes on that notion big time. What we don’t have to as easily dismiss is the notion that the Lakers could make an insane run at luring LeBron James to Los Angeles.
There’s a fundamental flaw in this theory though, as the Lakers wouldn’t have what it takes to lure in other players they may covet as part of their superstar rebuilding process. Kevin Love wants a max deal, was so irate at the Timberwolves for not giving him one that he’s walking away from them and he’s unlikely to go somewhere in which he’ll get stiffed on a max deal again. Signing LeBron to a max deal — as crazy as it sounds — would logically take the Lakers out of the running for Love.
Of course, that would mean the Lakers sign LeBron to a max deal which is unlikely to happen.