One thing is clear, LeBron James wants to take home his 5th ring. Hours after the LA Lakers drafted his son Bronny, the superstar opted out of the player option. While it’s not a decision made to hop on to a different franchise or increase his salary, it’s an attempt to give himself a chance. According to Rich Paul, James agreed to a financial sacrifice in his new contract to help the franchise acquire an experienced star. One star that the superstar eyes is James Harden, and here’s how the Lakers can poach him.

Moments after James’ opt-out news came out, Rich Paul revealed the superstar’s intention to rope in a veteran playmaker like James Harden or Klay Thompson and a big man like Jonas Valančiūnas to play alongside Anthony Davis. While the King James only wanted “impact players” like them and not exactly them, the analysts have already picked up their calculators.

As per Evan Sidery of Forbes, James could sacrifice up to $16 million of his salary, which will allow the Lakers to hire a player with a full mid-level exception worth $12.9 million. It’s a way for the team to hire free agents that are well over the salary cap. However, the $12.9 million is barely enough to rope in a superstar like Harden. But, Rob Pelinka has a way, which is through the ‘Sign-and-trade’ method, as per Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation. 

The ‘sign-and-trade’ method will involve the team re-signing and trading the player for a higher value, thereby increasing the cap space. Speaking of this scenario, Lane said, “If you are going to use the full mid-level exception, you’re gonna trigger a hard cap at $179 million but you would also trigger the cap if you accept the player via sign-and-trade.” He suggested they go with the latter.

Moreover, he also suggested a list of players that the Lakers can work around with the method. The list included: D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and Gabe Vincent. The tangled aspect of this scenario is that the Clippers will also make the salary hard-cap with sign-and-trade, but the only upside is that they can get quality like the above-mentioned names.

Who is a better fit for LeBron James? The Beard or Klay?

Klay Thompson may seem like a better option. A Los Angeles native and the son of the Lakers legend, Mychal Thompson. While these specifications don’t play a role on the court, they will indeed serve as a fairy tale ending for China Klay. The 4x NBA Champ has had a rough few weeks in the NBA world as he approaches a break-up with the Dubs. Nevertheless, in terms of the talent that he can offer to the Lakers, it’s his shooting prowess.

Importantly, JJ Redick stressed the importance of improving the Lakers’ perimeter shooting. Thompson, with a career 3-point percentage of 41+, can be a massive boost. However, on the other hand, James Harden can also be a good option. In fact, a better option. The Beard is not only good from the perimeter, but he can also orchestrate the game for the Lakers.

In the last season, the team relied on James, D’Lo, and Reaves to do the job. After the inclusion of Harden, the Lakers can find better ways to score their buckets. Notably, in the last season, he dished out 8.5 assists per game while averaging 16.6 ppg. and 38.1% from deep. So, the former MVP, who admitted, “I don’t even know,” regarding his future in May, can be the best fit among the two.

Before you go, do not forget to check out Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, to open up about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud. Keep checking this space for more such updates.