The real action will be next summer. It's pretty significant that he signed a four year deal, he knows this is a work in progress.
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In the short term, it’s hard to see that championship contender in place. The preference of Kawhi Leonard is to play with the Lakers, but James signing a four-year deal won’t put any pressure on Johnson and Pelinka to overpay for the San Antonio Spurs star. Paul George, another Southern California native, re-signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being traded there last summer and growing to like the team. But having James committed for the foreseeable future gives the Lakers reason to play the long game.
So, too, does the fact that a cavalcade of stars — including Leonard, Irving, Love, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford and Kemba Walker — will be free agents next summer, when James will be able to serve as the team’s lead recruiter in free agency and will be able to sell the fact that he isn’t going anywhere to prospective teammates.
For now, though, the Lakers will be content to return to relevancy for the first time in a half-decade. The greatest player of his generation deciding to join your franchise will do that.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2018/07/01/lebron-james-is-headed-to-the-lakers-and-hes-giving-them-time-to-build-a-contender/
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