Making an appearance at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to witness the playoff matchup between Cleveland and Boston, LeBron James left the NBA World buzzing. Still not having picked up his $51.4 million player option for next season, many were left wondering if LeBron’s visit to the Cavs arena had a hidden agenda.

There have been speculations about The King testing free agency this summer and returning to his original home for the final stretch of his career. And amid the rumors, Athletic’s Sam Amick deemed LeBron’s suspicious move as a stern reminder to the Lakers’ front office.

Discussing LeBron’s appearance at a Cavs game on The Rich Eisen Show, Amick broke down the veteran superstar’s “calculated” move. According to him, LeBron most likely wishes to stay in LA but wanted Jeanie Buss to take care of the head coaching situation fast while also making significant trades to build a better team. “Showing up to the Cavs game is the easiest way to offer that reminder,” he added.

Amick claimed that since the Russell Westbrook trade nearly three years ago proved to be a disastrous call for the Lakers, LeBron has lost a lot of juice in LA, “They haven’t listened to him as much.” Perhaps, it was because he was the one who reportedly pushed the team to acquire the former MVP. And because of that move, the Lakers had to part ways with several talented players from their 2020 Championship roster like Kyle Kuzma and KCP. But right now, LeBron has the leverage over the Lakers because of his contract situation and by going to the Cavs game, he likely wanted to push the Lakers to work toward a result that he wants for himself and the team.

Are the Lakers focusing on the wrong superstar?

While all attention is on what LeBron James is going to do this summer, people sometimes tend to forget that there is another superstar in LA, Anthony Davis. And after signing a three-year $186 million extension last year that will keep AD in LA for several more years, Amick said, “AD is the future of the Lakers.” Then, further solidifying his claim, the veteran writer revealed that a big reason Darvin Ham got booted by the Lakers was that Davis had lost faith in the vision of the coach. Even during the playoffs, while not naming any names, Davis did indirectly call out Ham by saying that sometimes the team doesn’t know what they are doing on the court.

With Davis’ history of demanding a trade when he is not in a situation that he likes, the Lakers need to focus on his wishes as well because they cannot afford to lose him while he is still in his prime. Playing the most games he has ever played in a Lakers uniform, AD averaged nearly twenty-five points during the regular season. Meanwhile, he was also a menace on defense, averaging nearly thirteen boards and grabbing over two blocks and one steal on a nightly basis. Then, during their brief playoff run, AD was the best player on the court for the Lakers against Denver, averaging nearly twenty-eight points and sixteen rebounds.

Therefore, Amick believes that the Lakers need to find the right balance to please both superstars so that they do not lose the LeBron piece of the puzzle while also not risking AD looking for another destination to build his future.