LeBron James NBA Rumors: Vecsey Says James is 'Unequivocally' Joining the Lakers Next Season
Will LeBron James really consider leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers next offseason?
Respected journalists like The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (then of The Vertical), Sheridan Hoops' Chris Sheridan and Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus have discussed this possibility in the past few months. And this time, it is veteran basketball analyst Peter Vecsey's turn to stir up the rumor mill.
In a recent blog post on Patreon, Vecsey revealed that he's now convinced that James will join the Lakers next season.
"Accordingly, I'm publicly terminating the pandemic of speculation surrounding LeBron James' playing plans past this season. For months, many in the media declared or composed presumption the Lakers would be the beneficiaries of his talents when he became a free agent July 1, 2018. I'm eradicating all conjecture and uncertainty! I'm comfortable now in stating unequivocally, LeBron will leave the Cavaliers a second time and join the Lakers, and return the team to L.A. Lore status," Vecsey said, via HoopsHype.
Interestingly, TMZ has reported that James has been checking out various schools in Los Angeles area for his children. Of course, this doesn't mean he's definitely moving there next summer, but as the saying goes, "Where there's smoke, there's fire."
The Cavaliers are going to be one of the favorites again this year. However, the future is as murky as ever after next season. In fact, it seems the team may already be preparing for a possible future without James. That's why the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick they got in return for Kyrie Irving is so valuable.
It's quite possible that James may leave Cleveland for the second time, but it should be noted that nothing is for certain at this point. After all, the season still hasn't even started yet.
Who knows, the Cavaliers might win the National Basketball Association (NBA) title this season and that could compel him to stay.
