Getty Jayson Tatum shooting on Anthony Davis.
There are few teams in professional sports as historic as the Los Angeles Lakers. By the end of this upcoming season, they could take over the record for most championships by an NBA franchise in history. Throughout the duration of the franchise, they’ve been able to reach greatness.
Thanks to that greatness, the Lakers have been able to attract the best talent in the NBA for years. Right now, the team is stacked and could win the franchise’s 18th championship this season. However, LeBron James‘ status as a superstar should come to an end in the next several years. That means the team will need to find another superstar to pair with Anthony Davis. Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics recently spoke to Quentin Richardson and revealed an interesting connection to the Lakers.
“My favorite player and my idol was Kobe [Bryant] and everybody knows that. So, I didn’t like the Celtics at all growing up,” Tatum said. “I only grew up, I was like, ‘I’m going to play for the Lakers. I’m going to play for the Lakers.’ Honestly, I ain’t even knew what Boston was at. Like I knew only East Coast. But, I’d never been there, I never thought about going there.”
Introducing @NewEraCap‘s City Ties; where @jaytatum0 sits down with @QRich to talk all things NBA and the night he was drafted.
Tune-in on Wednesday 12/23 at 7:30 pm/et on TNT to watch Jayson Tatum and the Celtics take on the Milwaukee Bucks. t.co/IR5ztUcbtp
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Tatum Is Tied to Boston for a While
Tatum obviously isn’t trying to force his way to the Lakers anytime soon but his comments are notable nonetheless. He recently signed a massive contract extension with the Celtics and is tied to them until at least the end of the 2024-25 seasons. Anthony Davis will be 32 by the time Tatum can hit free agency and LeBron will likely be retired or off playing with his son.
If the Lakers haven’t paired Davis with a younger star by then, Tatum could be a prime candidate. The name of the game is winning rings and it’s very possible that the Celtics don’t win one by 2025. However, the Lakers could win a couple more before then. Perhaps Boston is no longer ideal for Tatum and he decides to go to the team he always wanted to play for.
Lakers Will Need a Young Star Eventually
Tatum will only be 27 when he can hit free agency for the first time. If he keeps playing at a high level, he’ll be highly sought after. It’s obviously too early to speculate heavily on what his future might hold but the Lakers should start scouting potential candidates to replace LeBron when he retires.
Tatum probably isn’t the perfect guy to pair with Davis. Somebody like Luka Doncic or Ben Simmons would be interesting but neither of them has previously expressed a desire to ever play for the Lakers. The fact that Tatum expressed that he always wanted to be a Laker has to work in the team’s favor if he plans to leave Boston. A lot can happen by 2025 but Los Angeles should keep an eye on the Celtics’ star forward.
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