Rumors Suggest LeBron James Could Force His Way Out of LA if Lakers Have Bad Offseason

The Lakers thought they had it all going into the the 2018-19 NBA season. With superstar LeBron James in the fold and the young core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart to build around, it felt like basketball greatness had returned to one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports.

Then some magic happened, and not the kind you go to shows to see.

According to veteran Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke, LeBron could look for the escape hatch out of LA if the team fails to capitalize on what is considered one of the best NBA free agent classes ever.

"I’m hearing that, if they whiff on free agency, and if they whiff on a trade -- which I don’t know how likely that is -- but if that happens, they’ve got big trouble with LeBron," Plaschke said on ESPN LA 710 radio.

LeBron signed a four-year deal with the Lakers last summer, making it highly unlikely that he would actually bolt the team so quickly, not to mention the fact that he has business ventures and a family out there. James has nothing to prove to anyone anymore, as he's already one of the greatest ever, but any rumors surrounding LeBron and the Lakers are worth monitoring. After all, this same roster and all its dysfunction still managed to beat the Warriors on Christmas Day and were in line to host a home playoff series before LBJ went down with a groin injury.

Like clockwork, the drama in LA continues. Such is the way of things for basketball's most spectacularly haywire franchise.