The discourse around LeBron James’ decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers in favor of the Philadelphia 76ers is still raging, despite the decision being months old at this point.
James’ agent Rich Paul and Max Kellerman discussed this during a recent episode of their “Game Over” podcast.
“When you’re in years 22, 23, 24, and you still have something left in the tank, it is a beautiful situation where you can position yourself alongside other guys that can play roles at a high level that give you a real chance of winning. And you don’t have to try to be someone that you’re no longer capable of being today,” Paul said.
“What gave rise to that was a change of location. Lakers didn’t have that. They didn’t have that… That’s one of the reasons he picked Philadelphia,” Kellerman said, which Paul agreed with.
Paul did give the Lakers credit at another point in the podcast, saying that they made good moves in free agency to add pieces around Luka Dončić after LeBron’s exit.
LeBron certainly looks to be playing with a lot of joy right now. And the Lakers are arguably playing better basketball right now than they did at any point last season, largely because of these new additions to the roster.
LeBron’s decision seems to have been a win-win for both sides right now. Both teams sit in first place of their respective divisions. But there’s still a lot of basketball to be played that could change whether that remains true.
