Community Shootaround: Free Agents Joining James

Will The King scare away other All-Stars?

Kevin Durant seemed to suggest that during a recent Bleacher Report interview. It’s been generally assumed the Lakers will sign at least one big-time free agent next summer to join forces with James.

Judging by his comments, Durant won’t be going to Los Angeles. And he’s skeptical that Kawhi Leonard, who has stated his preference for playing in the city, will want to be James’ sidekick.

“If you’re a younger player like a Kawhi, trying to pair him with LeBron James doesn’t really make sense,” Durant said. “Kawhi enjoys having the ball in his hands, controlling the offense, dictating the tempo with his post-ups; it’s how he plays the game.”

Durant’s teammate Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler and Kemba Walker are some of the other prominent players headed to free agency. Durant doubts they’ll want to deal with the extra attention and pressure that comes with playing alongside James. Kyrie Irving, another big-name free agent after the season, was eager to get away from it in Cleveland.

Another issue is that James tends to get most or all of the credit when his teams win, while the supporting cast usually gets blamed when they lose.

“He has so many fanboys in the media. Even the beat writers just fawn over him,” Durant said. “So I get why anyone wouldn’t want to be in that environment because it’s toxic.”

That brings us to our question of the day: Do you think LeBron James’ imposing presence will scare away top-level free agents or will they be eager to join forces with him?

Please take to the comments to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

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