Don’t look now but things are not great for the Los Angeles Lakers. They are currently out of the playoff picture with a 14-21 record, Anthony Davis is out for an undetermined amount of time, and even when fully healthy the roster is poorly constructed. This has led to some frustrations from superstar LeBron James who recently raised some eyebrows with his postgame comments. Following the Lakers’ most recent loss to the Miami Heat, James was asked about how long he believes he is capable and intends to play at his level of output. As the 18-time All-Star replied:

I don’t have a number. I know as long as my mind stays in it, I can play at this level for a minute. Now, that’s up to my mind. My body is going to be OK because if my mind is into it, I will make sure my body is taken care of and I’ll continue to put in the work. So, I’m a winner and I want to win. And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion, that has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio. And I know it takes steps to get there, but once you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It’s not in my DNA anymore. So, we’ll see what happens and see how fresh my mind stays over the next couple years,” per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

With James Harden’s rumored desire to head to Houston this summer potentially opening up a max slot on the Philadelphia 76ers roster, they could find themselves a darkhorse team to attempt to land the superstar.

It should not be forgotten that James considered Philadelphia as a landing spot before signing with the Lakers. The four-time MVP took a visit with the Sixers and as he put it per ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, “I definitely thought long and hard about the possibilities of lining up alongside Ben [Simmons] and [Joel] Embiid.” His decision to go to Los Angeles was driven by the franchise being closer to winning a championship and, while the Lakers got their ring in 2020, the outlook of Philadelphia is now much better comparatively.