LeBron James has played for three teams during his lengthy NBA career, but the one team he has played for twice is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Of course, that also means that James has left the Cavs twice, with the latest incident occurring back in 2018 when he opted to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers instead. Over five years later, Rich Paul explained why James opted to make such a move.
James made it to the Finals in each of his four seasons during his second stint with Cleveland, but he only won one of those series thanks to the Golden State Warriors dynasty. James was beginning to grow weary of doing the same old song and dance according to Paul, which led him to identify the Lakers as the team he wanted to join with his time with the Cavs coming to an end.
“In our conversation it was – if anybody know him, he gets bored fast, right? And so, my conversation was, looking at the talent. At the time, they had – Jesse [Buss] had done a great job in the draft. Kuz (Kyle Kuzma), Brandon Ingram, Zo (Lonzo Ball), Josh Hart, the talent was young, but was there. If you’re going to leave Cleveland, where you going? Right?” – Rich Paul, Gil’s Arena
The seams had already begun to fall off in Cleveland prior to James’ departure, as Kyrie Irving had gotten traded to the Boston Celtics, and the remaining pieces around James weren’t particularly great. Considering how he managed to win another title with the Lakers, it seems to be a move that paid off quite handily for James, even if his decision still stings for Cavs fans.