Lebron James has had a quiet few months, which is understandable considering the turmoil surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA global superstar has yet to voice his opinion on the Rob Pelinka vs. Magic Johnson row. Maybe he intends to keep this silence forever.
Instead, Lebron has been focusing his attention towards making the Lakers a better team, by reaching out to to-be free agent NBA stars.
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Lebron James already in contact with Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard
Brian Windhorst on Twitter reports that Lebron James has already been in contact with at least two such stars- Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard. While some fans may cry tampering, the rules on this matter are clear- players doing recruiting cannot be classed as tampering. It will be interesting to see how these interactions play out and whether Lebron gets his men.
“From what I understand, [LeBron] has already begun the recruiting process. I’ve heard he has had contact with Kawhi Leonard. I’ve heard he’s had contact with Jimmy Butler.”
—@WindhorstESPN reporting on @PTI pic.twitter.com/2ppJjjL60h
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 24, 2019
Talks between Leonard and Lebron may come as a surprise to some. After all, there were rumors before this season began that the Kawhi Leonard did not take fancy to the idea of playing beside Lebron. However, Leonard’s performances for the Raptors in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals certainly changes things.
And if the Raptors do make it to the final, it is likely that Leonard will wish to stay. It all, thus, comes down to whether Lebron can convince Leonard to move.
As for Butler, he has expressed interest in moving to the Lakers in the past. When he moved to the Sixers, it was seen by many as a temporary stopover. However, the Sixers’ excellent performance in the playoffs may convince him to stay.
The critical bit here is that the Lakers are only interested in signing one of the two. Lebron’s attempts are more to broaden the Laker’s options. The Lakers are in search of someone to help the offensive end and take that load off James.
