LeBron to Lakers in 2018: The Inevitability?

His Majesty will take his talents to the West

The King's next destination: Hollywood?

Make no mistake about it. LeBron James, despite his recent NBA Finals defeat at the hands of Stephen Curry and the rest of the Golden State Warriors, remains as one of the best basketball players that the world has seen. And whether you love him or not, you know, as well as the rest of the league knows, that the King is not yet done. He still has a healthy body which can enable him to play for a couple of years. And yes, even at the age of 32, LeBron James is the definition of greatness.

Throughout the 2016-2017 season, His Majesty has averaged 26 points per game, 8 assists and 8 rebounds. That's the kind of stat line anyone would expect from a player of LeBron's calibre. And as mentioned, he is not slowing down any time soon especially now that the Cleveland Cavaliers have traded its star point guard, Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for another star, Isaiah Thomas and a bunch of role players.

While Thomas' game has flourished tremendously as we saw during the entire 2016-2017 season and eventually leading the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals, Thomas himself sustained a hip injury during their series against Cleveland which almost vetoed the said trade. This trade plus LeBron’s apparent strained relationship with the management is just one of the many reasons why he is about to break the hearts of the Cavs fans. Again.

If we’re going to look back at history, LeBron James has already jumped from one ship to the other, the first being in 2010 when he took his talents to Miami where he joined Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to form the Big 3. Most people thought that the Heat’s Big 3 would dominate the league for a long period of time.

Nope. LeBron again, broke the heart of Miami fans in 2014 when he left and returned to the Cavs where he would join Irving and Kevin Love for another Big 3 of their own. Now? If we are to believe the rumors, the King is about to make a big jump, literally and figuratively. As far as people around LeBron are concerned, LeBron Raymone James will be taking his talents out West, and is seasoned to be joining the Los Angeles Lakers. Yep. You read it right, folks. The Lakers, whether we like it or not, will likely be the next beneficiary of LeBron’s services.

Assuming that it will happen, will this impending move change the fortunes of the Lakers who have been struggling to even win winnable games during the recent years? The answer is: yes. Adding a LeBron James to the Purple and Gold will change the direction of the wind for Los Angeles, drastically. Keep in mind, folks. The Lakers have one of the most hyped rookies in recent history in Lonzo Ball. And, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle are improving too.

Just imagine if the King crosses to the West, yes, he can help the Lakers win more games. But can he help them dethrone the Warriors, challenge the Spurs, diffuse the Rockets?

The answer is: It depends. It depends on the chemistry that will be built come LeBron’s arrival. It depends on how the rest of the Lakers will react. And most importantly, the success of the Lakers will depend on who is willing to take the shot come clutch situation and that’s where LeBron is needed, right?

July 2018 is still far away and we have a 2017-2018 season ahead of us. For the fans of the Lakers and the Cavs, it’s going to be a long, agonizing wait. It’s like waiting for your love of your life to leave you on that specific date. Many things can still happen between now and Free Agency 2018, and if you’ve been watching the NBA during the last few years, then you know that anything can happen.