Lakers' LeBron James Could Return To Familiar Franchise If He Departs LA

The Los Angeles Lakers have a massive summer ahead of them. Roster-wise, many things can and will happen to the Lakers; however, their No. 1 priority will be to retain their young superstar, Luka Doncic. 

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They will do all they can to ensure he remains in purple and gold, and by all indications, they are doing just that. After that, however, their priority will be to ensure superstar LeBron James finishes his career in Los Angeles. 

If James were to return to the Lakers, he would enter his eighth season in L.A. That would be the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer's most seasons with one team during one stint. He's built his career and life in L.A., and the expectation is that it will not end. 

All signs point to the Lakers and James agreeing on a contract extension so he could finish out his career in L.A., whether that will be after the next season or the season after that. However, there may be a slight chance that James leaves L.A. for the Miami Heat, a city and franchise he brought a championship to. 

CBS Sports analyst Ashley Nicole Moss believes the four-time MVP a return to Miami could be in the cards. 

“They’ve (Heat) lost a lot (star players) in the past few years,” Moss said. “Lost a lot of outside shooting. They lost Jimmy Butler. I think it’d be similar to the situation he’s dealing with in L.A. right now.

“Yeah, you could pair him with a No.2 option. But everything else around him would still need to be functional and reliable. So again, this would be another nostalgic move. I don’t think this would be a certified championship move for LeBron.”

James spent four seasons in Miami from 2010-2014. He led them to fourth consecutive NBA Finals appearances and won two of them. 

The Heat are coming off yet another playoff appearance, but they were swept by the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers. The chances of James going back to Miami are slim to none. 

The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick both expect James to finish his career with the Lakers. Many in NBA circles share this sentiment. 

Miami could endure a lot of changes and turnover compared to the Lakers, who are expected to retool and build a contender for the entire 82-game season and beyond. 

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