With an annual salary of 52.6 million US dollars, the Lakers will no longer focus on James! Should James leave?

The day of the new season is getting closer and closer, and many teams have gathered to prepare for the new season. The Warriors started a mini training camp under Butler's organization, and players such as Horford and Melton who had not yet signed also appeared; Durant officially appeared at the Rockets training camp to start training together. Judging from the team's strength classification given by the US media, the top eight favorites in the championship have the six teams in the West (Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Rockets, Clippers, and Lakers). It is obvious that the competition in the West will be extremely fierce in the new season. According to US media reports, Durant will soon reach a contract renewal with the Rockets. In this way, only James will be the expiring contract for the 14 super giants with an annual salary of over 50 million next season, because James has just executed the 52.6 million player option worth one year.

At the new season press conference held by the Lakers, General Manager Pelinka talked about a lot about James, and we started with three details. First, open-air stand column reporter Wei Zeman revealed that sources familiar with James told him that James hopes to get a contract extension from the Lakers this summer, but the Lakers are not interested in it. But Wei Zeman immediately denied the news. What the outside world predicted was that James wanted to sign a 1+1 contract (about 110 million US dollars), but the Lakers proved this summer that if they wanted to give James a contract, they would have given it long ago. Secondly, Pelinka said in an interview that the Lakers "consciously" strengthening the lineup this summer is to create conditions for James to compete for the championship in the new season and respect his right to write a new chapter.

But when asked about James' future, Pelinka hoped that James "who ended his career as a Lakers player will become a perfect story." The key is that Pelinka emphasized that the Lakers gave James enough respect to him to decide how long he wanted to play. Finally, an anonymous NBA executive revealed that James hopes to hold a retirement tour like Kobe, but according to Los Angeles media, this idea is difficult to achieve because it is Doncic's team. Next season, the Lakers do not want to give up their pursuit of record just because James retires to tour. This is very contradictory! The Lakers are obviously unwilling to renew James' contract, so why does Pelinka still hope that James will retire as a Lakers player? Why does Pelinka say respect for James' choice?

After the Lakers signed Ayton + Laravia + Smart this summer, US media wrote an article to analyze James' situation, believing that it is the right choice to part ways with James as soon as possible, but James has the right to veto the deal, so he can only wait for tomorrow summer. There are two sets of data worth pondering. First, last season, James's On-Off value was -5.2 in the regular season, and in the playoffs, it was -22.0. When he was not on the court, the Lakers and Timberwolves could still win 10.9 points in the 100 rounds. When he was on the court, the team lost 11.1 points in the 100 rounds. Also, as long as James is present in the playoffs, any four-player combination of the Lakers will lose points; when only Finney Smith + Vincent are partnering with the Big Three, they will win points, but Finney Smith has already left.

The Lakers' management is indeed hypocritical, and Pelinka's official speeches are inconsistent. They strive to separate their ties with James within their ability, and forcing James to retire is also a fact. Recognition creates conditions for James to compete for the championship, so why not renew the contract? Respect James' choice, why is it recommended that he retire as a Lakers player? There are two undeniable points. James is 41 years old next season. His contribution to the defensive end and his real efficiency on the court are indeed declining. However, after the Lakers won the championship in the Bubble Park, they seem to have treated Curry like the Warriors, retreating while playing, including the team's original process of getting Westbrook and the way of dealing with Westbrook. According to famous speaker Windhorst, the Lakers' management attitude is that whoever invites them will be responsible for the end.

can only blame the Mavericks! Before James left the team and returned to the field, they took the initiative to bring the Lakers the cornerstone of the team building in the next 10 years, leading to the contradiction between the new and old core members. From the player, Doncic expressed his hope to fight side by side with James more than once. The Lakers management has missed the opportunity to strengthen more than once because they are reluctant to let go of their first round picks in the future, including the voluntary suspension of the trade on Mawei in the middle of last season, resulting in the Lakers not even a decent center in the playoffs, and the inside was broken by the Timberwolves. The Los Angeles media can put the blame on James' poor defense and the defense of the Big Three needs someone to provide a guarantee. So why is James the only one who sacrificed in the end? Doncic received a three-year contract renewal of 165 million yuan, and Reeves is also not a seller.

It is difficult to have a retired tour. The Lakers' career is confirmed to be the end of next summer. If you want to join other teams, teams that can meet the salary space + championship potential at the same time are basically no longer available (previously, salary experts estimated that if James does not retire, his average salary in his next contract will be around 20 million. James cannot accept basic salary or middle-class salary). The Lakers have blocked all their paths for James. If it weren't for the veto power of the transaction, the Lakers might have sent James away directly. But in the next year, the most painful thing for the entire Lakers is probably James, who has completely become an outsider.