Lakers: LeBron James Should Follow James Harden Route in Contract Talks Says Expert
It's no question the Lakers need help in order to be a championship caliber team after seeing the effects of what the team looks like with three aging or injured stars on the team. In order to keep up with the offensive firepower in the Western Conference, Lakers forward LeBron James may want to consider a different approach to his contract talks.
James needs just one more championship to tie Lakers greats Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson, and two more to tie with arguably the greatest center of all time and current NBA all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the man who he's been linked to his entire career, Michael Jordan.
In order for James to catch-up and for the Lakers to remain championship contenders, NBA Insider Tim Bontemps believes James should take the James Harden approach with his contract in order to surround him with the right supporting cast and win another NBA title (quotes via NBA on ESPN).
“If you look at the situation the Lakers are in, they don’t have enough salary cap space to go out and fill in the roster around him and Anthony Davis. And the one way they have to do that is for LeBron to wait till next summer, opt out of his contract, and like James Harden, this summer with Philly, take a little bit less money, and allow them to fill in around him and Anthony Davis on this roster."
If James is willing to wait to get paid, the Lakers have a strong chance to build a strong supporting cast around the future Hall of Fame forward. With the right team around James, the championship hopes and aspirations will remain high among the team and fan base.
The accolades speak for themselves, but James is not quite finished. Not yet.
