"Any organization he goes to are going to be in his mercy" - Perk on the problems of having LeBron on your team

lebron-james-ft

Although many expect he will re-sign and return to the Lakers, LeBron James' next move is one of the most anticipated of the upcoming free agency period. LBJ is expected to decline the player option of his current deal to seek a longer contract.

The Lakers are favored to retain LeBron's services, but some think he could go elsewhere. However, signing 'The King' now isn't the same as signing James in his prime. While he has always been a hot free-agent commodity in the past, that is no longer the case now. At least, that's what his former Cavs teammate Kendrick Perkins thinks.

"Do you want a guy that's turning 40 to like basically have you in the headlock?" Perk asked on The Mark Jackson Show. "Because we know any organization he goes to, they gonna be at the mercy of LeBron James."

Teams have always given LeBron the cast he needs to win

James has always been a special player. Front offices have consistently built a team that suits his abilities everywhere he's played. And there have been instances where LeBron himself 'asked' to play with specific players.

That is challenging for any team, but considering that LBJ has brought a ring to every city he's played for, it's always been a price that team owners and GMS have always been willing to pay. But now that he is entering Year 22 and nearing 40 years old, giving in to LeBron's demands may be easier said than done.

"That's the problem with the Lakers right now. The Lakers, every coach that's been there, even LeBron, they've been saying for the last three years, 'Oh, we're giving AD the keys; this is his vehicle,' but he's still riding in the passenger seat. How you driving a car riding a shotgun. Not in America. You can't drive a car and be riding a shotgun," added Perkins.

It's still Lebron's team

After the Lakers won the 2020 Bubble Title, Anthony Davis claimed that LeBron told him that the Lakers were his team, but everybody knows that's not true. Up until this season, everyone believes that 'King James' still rules the Purple and Gold. If you ask 7-time champion Robert Horry, he thinks that if the Lakers run it back next season, they have to make Davis their focal point.

"I think with this team, if DLo gets high, and LeBron comes back, but the key is if you bring that core back, you have to make AD the focal point," explained Horry. "LeBron has to take a backseat. AR has to take a backseat. All these guys have to take the backseat because, tell me, what guy in the league can stop AD? Nobody. So you go with that advantage."

That job will now fall in the hands of newly appointed head coach JJ Redick. During his introductory press conference, Redick talked about making AD play like a 'hub' and letting LeBron play off-ball. However, that's always easier said than done. As long as James is on the team, what he wants will always happen, and that has always been the case for 21 years.