Will LeBron Play Hardball With the Lakers? Why His $ Is About Much More than LeBron

It's a reflection of LeBron's still-strong influence on the league that four days into the offseason for the Lakers, the "will James return" discourse is already in overrdrive. And it reflects the significant pressure under which Rob Pelinka will operate this summer, because it's an important part of an offeason that internally and externally is expected to be one of significant progress. Maybe not enough to catch the Thunder and Spurs atop the West, but one where the path to another title for Luka is a lot more clear. So Brian Windhorst of ESPN laid out some interesting context Thursday, noting that LeBron doesn't see himself as some sort of legacy player or a novelty act. While he gets the landscape broadly, he also made an All-Star team this year, and expects to be treated, if not paid, like one. So how do the Lakers handle it? How can they build the requisite amount of trust in an offseason that will probably require the Lakers to renounce LeBron's rights (or sign him qui...