Another cloud is coming for Los Angeles. The ones already hanging over the Lakers are about to get darker, unless LeBron James signs the two-year, $97 million contract extension for which he is eligible on Aug. 4.
Otherwise, the NBA's most important player of this century can become a free agent at the age of 38 next summer, when the Lakers may be working on a third straight season without a series victory in the playoffs. On three previous occasions in his career — in 2009-10, 2013-14 and 2017-18 — James played a season for a team with sub-championship future expectations, and it was never kind to his incumbent organization.