Los Angeles Lakers will have LeBron James in their roster for at least the next two seasons and they’re already thrilled to move forward with the future Hall of Famer, who hopes to add to his NBA ring collection in the near future.
Despite signing an extension, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported LeBron James is “privately adamant” the Lakers should improve the roster ahead of the 2022-23 season. For the most part, Lakers seem to agree to that notion.
The “Purple and Gold” have been involved in may trade scenarios this offseason regarding Kyrie Irving and the Pacers duo of Buddy Hield and Myles Turner. They have already tried to offload Russell Westbrook in potential deals, but nothing came to fruition yet.
During the free agency period, the Lakers tried to go younger as they signed the likes of Lonnie Walker, Damian Jones, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson. All are nice additions but none of them can move the needle on a championship team.
“The primary complication in James’ decision was that he has been privately adamant that the Lakers still need to improve the current roster and trade for superstar point guard Kyrie Irving,” Buhan wrote. (h/t HoopsWire)
As of now, there is no indication Kyrie Irving is desperate to leave Brooklyn, despite being unable to sign a new deal with them earlier this summer. In addition to that, the Nets want top players along with draft picks to accommodate a trade for the All-Star guard.
In any case, LeBron still a great player but he’s unable to carry a team alone at 37 years old. After signing a two-year extension, the Lakers should explore ways to bring in reinforcements, as James still is capable of producing great numbers.