Over 24 hours have passed since LeBron James' confirmed departure from the Los Angeles Lakers, and the franchise has swiftly moved on with a quartet of major moves on Wednesday headlined by a shock sign-and-trade for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler.
There's been plenty of conjecture on whether it was James or the Lakers who drove his exit, but the suggestion of the front office prioritizing Kessler over the 4x MVP could give him another reason to join the Golden State Warriors in free agency.
Shock Walker Kessler move gives LeBron another reason to join Warriors
There's been no reported animosity yet between James and the Lakers in the wake of his departure, yet it's pretty clear the franchise wanted to grant Luka Doncic his wish of getting an A-list center even if it meant losing his superstar teammate in the process.
After losing James, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart and presumably Rui Hachimura, the Lakers used their cap space to sign Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton -- the latter of who was a reported target for the Warriors.
The Kessler sign-and-trade was not only surprising because the Jazz were willing to let him go, but also because the Lakers gave up two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033), and two first-round picks swaps (2028 and 2030) to acquire the 24-year-old.
Would James feel a little aggrieved? Perhaps. If that's at all the case, the Warriors offer him the perfect chance to exact some revenge on the Lakers in a way that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat can't as teams in the Eastern Conference.
Warriors-Lakers rivalry would be must watch if LeBron heads to the Bay
Golden State will face their pacific rival four times throughout the regular season, inluding in the NBA Cup group stage. Already one of the league's biggest rivalries, the Warriors-Lakers matchups become even more spicy and must watch if James ultimately switches teams.
You not only have the individual matchups, but the battle in the divisional and conference standings where both teams could project to be around the same level if Golden State can land James.
Winning multiple games against the Lakers and finishing above them in the West would give LeBron some vindication, suggesting that his former team should have made more of an effort to retain him rather than focusing on Kessler and others.
It's certainly not going to be the primary reason behind James' free agency decision, but perhaps it adds another layer and factor that goes into his thinking as the NBA world awaits his call.
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