Lakers' Austin Reaves gives thoughts on life without LeBron James

To many, LeBron James will always be associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The boy from Akron, Ohio, went No. 1 overall to the Cavs in 2003 and later on in his career led the Cavaliers to their first and only championship.

Others will think about James and instantly think of the Miami Heat. James won two NBA championships with the Heat alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

And still others, in a testament to the longevity of James' time in the NBA, will think of his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was with the legendary franchise from 2018 to 2026 and helped the Lakers capture a championship in 2020 in the Orlando bubble.

James is now a free agent and at 41 years old, he's deliberating where he wants to play what could be his final NBA season.

For Austin Reaves, though, who he left behind in Los Angeles, "King James" belongs with him on the Lakers.

"I don't know if I've honestly processed it yet," Reaves recently said of James leaving L.A. via free agency, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. "Starting the season without him being on the team is going to be different for me. He's kind of all I've ever known. Just him being around, joking around, acting like he's 15. But that's his decision and ... I got nothing but love and respect for him."

Los Angles Lakers heading into season of change

Where James ends up is still anybody's best guess, though the money is currently on one more reunion in Cleveland. The Golden State Warriors and Heat are also options as well.

As far as the Lakers are concerned, they'll move forward with Luka Doncic as their centerpiece. Reaves will play a huge role for them as well, though. 

He just signed a four-year, $180 million deal and is coming off a season that saw him average 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.

The Lakers, in general, are heading into a season of change. Doncic and Reaves are two major pieces, but they've also seen several departures via trades or free agency. James is the big name, but Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard all left the Lakers this offseason.

New teammates for Reaves include Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

"Everybody knows it's a completely different team," Reaves said. "There's going to be different things asked of different people, and if that's what JJ [Redick] and the staff asks of me, I'll do it to the best of my ability."