The NBA offseason has been full of rumors and reports about LeBron James and his future with the Los Angeles Lakers. It sure sounds like the two sides could part ways before the 2025-26 season comes to an end.
At the very least, James is playing in the final year of his contract. There seems to be very little chance that he would re-sign with the Lakers should he choose to continue his career.
Now, there is more to add to James’ distance from the franchise. This new situation was revealed by new center Deandre Ayton, who recently signed with Los Angeles.
Ayton opened up about his decision to sign with the Lakers recently. He also revealed that he has yet to hear form James after his decision to join the Los Angeles franchise.
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He also noted that he has heard from Luka Doncic.
“Hasn’t happened yet,” Ayton said. “I did get one from Luka.”
It has become clear that Rob Pelinka and the Lakers are building around Luka Doncic. He has taken over as the face of the franchise from James.
James not reaching out to Ayton is a bit of a surprising piece of news. He has had plenty of time to speak to his new teammate. Perhaps this does hint at James being uncertain about his future with the team.
Looking further past this news, Ayton is going to be a very intriguing fit for Los Angeles. Heading into the offseason, Pelinka badly needed to find a starting center upgrade. Ayton being bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers was a major gift.
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Throughout his career to this point, Ayton has played in 398 games and started in 391 of those appearances. He has averaged 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and a block per game, and has shot 59 percent from the floor.
At just 26 years old, Ayton is still very much in the prime of his career. He is looking to finally start living up to the hype that surrounded him when he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, which happens to be the same class as Doncic.
While it’s very strange that James has not reached out yet, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Or, it very well could mean something. Only time will tell and all fans can do is wait and see.
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