The 2019 NBA free agent class is full of stars who could be on the move.
One possible landing spot is Los Angeles, where both the Lakers and Clippers will have the salary cap room to sign a player to a max contract.
The Lakers hope the presence of LeBron James will give them an edge when recruitment begins on July 1. And LeBron is ready to help the team in any way he can.
“I’ve never played fantasy basketball,” James told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. “But I will be as active as I need to be for this franchise to get better. That’s why I came here. I came here to win. And obviously, we need to get better, as far as our personnel. We have an opportunity to get better. And there’s a lot of talent out there, and a lot of guys that can help our franchise. So I’ll be as active as I need to be for us to get better and go from there.”
After missing the playoffs during LeBron’s first season in L.A., next season has become even more critical for the team and LeBron. He will turn 35 years old in December.
“It’s a critical summer for myself,” James told Beck. “Obviously, the franchise is going to live forever. But for me personally, it’s very critical, because I want to compete and I want to compete now.”
There will be plenty of players available who could help LeBron and the Lakers make the next step towards title contenders.
But there also will be plenty of competition from other teams in pursuit of a star, including the Clippers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.
* * *