LeBron James Signs With Los Angeles Lakers

CLEVELAND, OH — LeBron James has signed a four-year, $154 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, ending his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The news, broken by James' representatives at Klutch Sports agency, means the four-time MVP and three-time NBA champion will now lead a Lakers team that finished 35-47 last season.

James, 33, just finished his 15th season in the NBA, leading the Cavaliers to their fourth straight NBA Finals appearance. He averaged 27.5 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game and 9.1 assists per game. He played in all 82 regular season games and 22 postseason games.

The star forward has run up against the same wall in late spring and early summer for four years — the Golden State Warriors. James' teams are just 1-3 in the NBA Finals against the team from Oakland, California. That includes back-to-back Finals losses since the Warriors added Kevin Durant.

For Clevelanders, the number one in 1-3 is of the utmost importance. James brought Northeast Ohio its first title since the 1950s and ended one of the longest championship droughts in America. His departure from the region will, undoubtedly, be less acrimonious than his 2010 exodus to Miami.

However, with talking heads focusing on the inability of Cleveland to conquer the Warriors' four-headed hydra, the Cavaliers were left with few options to improve their team. The franchise could not afford superstar free agents, like Paul George, and didn't have the young assets to compete for disgruntled All-Stars in trades.

Knowing that Cleveland was wedged between a lack of cash and a lack of assets, nearly every team in the NBA began courting James the moment the NBA Finals ended. And James had been linked to Los Angeles almost from the beginning of the off-season.

The news of James' westward trip comes shortly after the Lakers' Magic Johnson, a Hall of Famer and president of basketball operations, said he would resign if his team couldn't sign a marquee free agent by the summer of 2019. Johnson's job now appears safe for at least a few years.

The signing of James may not be the end of Los Angeles' moves this off-season. The Lakers have also been linked to star center DeMarcus Cousins, who is an unrestricted free agent, and disgruntled Spurs wing Kawhi Leonard.

Barring other moves, James is joining a young team that features high-profile rookie and sophomore players Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma. All three players will find themselves suddenly thrust regularly into the national spotlight.

The Streak

For eight straight years, the NBA has seen LeBron James compete in the NBA Finals. That streak is now in more jeopardy than it has been in years.

The Western Conference of the NBA is generally considered to be populated by more potent championship contenders, including James' old foes the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, and the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

To compete again for a title, James will need to vanquish a brutal procession of the NBA's elites.

The only question now is will the Lakers roster continue to evolve before the season begins.

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