The 2025 NBA playoffs are ongoing, but the Los Angeles Lakers should be looking ahead to free agency.
After losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, Los Angeles should focus on enjoying a productive offseason.
According to CBS Sports’ Ashley Nicole Moss, the Lakers could lose their superhuman forward to the Miami Heat this summer.
"They’ve (Heat) lost a lot (star players) in the past few years,” Moss said Tuesday. "Lost a lot of outside shooting. They lost Jimmy Butler. I think it’d be similar to the situation he’s (LeBron James) dealing with in LA right now.”
"Yeah, you could pair him with a No. 2 option. But everything else around him would still need to be functional and reliable. So again, this would be another nostalgic move. I don’t think this would be a certified championship move for LeBron.”
Following an impactful seven-year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers to begin his NBA career, James teamed up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat in 2010.
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Many believed the move would unfairly shift the power balance in the big leagues, and in a sense, they were correct.
James and the Heat reached the finals every season in Miami and won two championships in four campaigns.
The 21-time All-Star soon returned to the Cavaliers and helped the organization win a title in 2016 before joining the Lakers in 2018.
Nowadays, the Heat are in awful shape. Miami is in complete disarray, with the Butler-less organization getting embarrassed by the Cavaliers in the opening round of the playoffs.
Considering James has a $52.6 million player option to consider heading into the offseason, a potential reunion with the Heat is technically still on the table.
However, James is seeking his fifth championship toward the end of his career, which would make signing a summer deal with Miami a poor choice for the 6-foot-9 human freight train.
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