Lakers and James: Behind the embarrassing summer is the indivisible common interests and future

Translator's note: The original text was published in ClutchPoints. The data in the article were as of the time of the original text (August 27 local time). The dates and times involved were all local time

. The weather began to turn cooler and the summer has ended. This is a very extraordinary summer for LeBron James and the Lakers. However, as September approaches, the situation is already very clear: although things have become awkward, both sides need each other, and it is beneficial to everyone to get together and separation.

The summer had a strange start when Ritchie Paul made that much controversial statement to ESPN, saying James would execute the last year of his contract. Some people in the league feel that it is like James laying the foundation for leaving the Lakers, but after that, there is no further information.

Of course, there are several tweets or Instagram posts that can be interpreted in multiple ways, but sources familiar with both sides have stressed throughout the summer that James has never asked for a deal or a buyout to the Lakers.

Robert Pelinka did not really calm the situation either. He only mentioned James when he was specifically asked, and used some rather harsh "ifs" when talking about James' future in the league or the Lakers.

From the Lakers' perspective, they have always been very clear that James can still make a huge contribution on the court. He was selected to the All-Squad in the just-concluded season and was one of the few players on the Lakers to perform well in that bad series loss with the Timberwolves.

Sources who know the Lakers made it clear throughout the summer that there is no deal that will make them stronger, let alone a deal that will make James give up his trade veto.

Pellinka is also opening the Luca Doncic era, and he doesn't want to start a new chapter with a worse lineup than at the end of last season. Trading James almost certainly leads to this result. As for Doncic, league sources also pointed out that he didn't want James to be traded, but understood that James needed to find the best option for the final seasons of his career.

As reported last week, Doncic and James kept communicating throughout the summer about how to maximize their opportunities to collaborate.

Sources said James has been focusing on making himself more threatening without the ball. He spent time making himself more adaptable to the catch and shoot on the offensive end, and spent more time adjusting his body, ready to devote more energy to the defensive end, as Doncic will assume the main offensive responsibility.

Looking forward to LeBron James' future in the Lakers, James has seen how the impact will be at the end of his career if a player breaks up with the Lakers. Anthony Davis was still warmly welcomed after being traded for Doncic. On the other hand, Russell Westbrook hopes that the Kings can find a next home for Malik Monk so that he can have a job next season.

James has a grand dream for his business development after retirement. If Lakers fans turn against him and don't support him like they support "Magics" Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, etc., it will indeed change the prospects of his careers to some extent.

Another reality is that James doesn't have many better choices in basketball than in the Lakers, or even no. Winning the championship by signing a basic salary after a buyout is not a glorious thing for his historical status, so it is not an option.

As mentioned above, the Lakers will not accept any ordinary deals about James, so the asymmetric "robbery" deal that will allow him to join the favorite team in the championship will not happen.

To get the Lakers to join the ranks of top championship teams, the lineup still needs to be strengthened, but it is difficult to say that they have not achieved success this offseason. They also maintain the necessary flexibility to reinforcing the situation when it is required.

If you are worried about what will happen after this season, can't the Lakers portray their plan to match Doncic with another superstar? If James had to cut his salary sharply in order to go to a team that might be closer to the championship, can’t he do the exact same thing in Los Angeles and win another ring, and this time playing side by side with his son?

Yes, since Austin Reeves is likely to get a raise, and the Lakers are planning to be as flexible as possible to be able to really compete for Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nicola Jokic, the salary operation will be tricky, but if they can do that, why don't James want to be part of that team?

The last factor is that when James made a statement, it did not cause any turmoil in the league. Yes, some teams reportedly conducted inquiries, but none scrambled to rebuild their roster in order to get James through the trade. At the cocktail party in the Las Vegas Summer League, speculation about James' future became a great topic of conversation, but it never triggered any substantial trend in the league.

So, if no team is willing to do their best to get James and provide a better chance to win the championship, isn't it the best choice for James to stay with his family in Los Angeles and hope that the Lakers can find ways to create opportunities for him to win the championship?

So we're back to the starting point, and both the Lakers and James realize that they need each other to achieve their goals. For the Lakers, James is still the perfect candidate to help them start the Doncic era. For James, the Lakers are still the most suitable choice for him. Therefore, both parties have the responsibility to seize this still good opportunity..

Author: Anthony Irwin

Translator: GWayNe