Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 7-3-18

Sports
Lakers Sign Notorious LeBron Pest, Lance Stephenson
LEBRON JAMES AND LANCE STEPHENSON
LeBron James will no longer have to worry about being defended by Lance Stephenson, in games at least.
Stephenson has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Stephenson became a free agent when the Indiana Pacers declined his option — a move that was met with criti- cism. “Born Ready” was receiv- ing interest from many teams, but his new home will be with the Lakers.
Magic Johnson Reportedly Went To LeBron’s House To Close Deal
BEAUTY UNLIMITED
DARCIA
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Magic Johnson will not have to worry about stepping down from his position with the Los Angeles Lakers any- more.
Magic had said before free agency began that he would step down if the Lak- ers could not land a star within the next two years. A few days later, LeBron James announced that he was joining the purple and gold.
So how was the deal con- summated? Magic met with James at the former Cavs star’s LA home to close the deal.
LeBron may have had his mind mostly made up
MAGIC JOHNSON
about joining the Lakers, but meeting with Magic who sold him on the team’s vision probably didn’t hurt. Now Magic & Co’s next task will be to assemble a champi- onship-level team around James. There’s already some talk about one big man potentially returning.
Paul George Tells Fans He Is Returning To Thunder
Chris Paul To
The confirmation that Paul George would be re- turning to the Oklahoma City Thunder came from the man himself.
Sign $160 Million Deal With Rockets
George was on stage at a party thrown by teammate Russell Westbrook in OKC on Saturday when he delivered his message to the fans: “I’m here to stay.”
PAUL GEORGE
million contract with a player option.
George isn’t just staying short-term either. George is signing a four-year, $137
Kawhi Leonard Could
CHRIS PAUL
So much for the reports about tension between Chris Paul and the Houston Rock-
ets.CP3 will sign a four-year, $160 million deal with the Rockets.
The expectation always was that Paul would return to Houston given all the success the team enjoyed last season. Despite his injuries, the Rock- ets had the best record in the NBA during the regular season and pushed the Warriors to a seventh game in the confer- ence finals.
Had Paul not gotten in- jured during the series, it’s quite plausible that the Rock- ets would have won it all.
Although Paul is 33 and will probably be overpaid in the last few years of his deal, this is a move the Rockets felt they had to do in order to have the best chance at competing for a championship next year and the year after.
Threaten To Sit Out Season,
If He Doesn't Join Lakers
Now that LeBron James has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, could Kawhi Leonard pull a power move to force his way to LA? That’s what some are thinking.
After LeBron’s decision to join the Lakers was an- nounced on Sunday night, ESPN’s, Stephen A. Smith was on TV talking about the situation.
According to Smith, there is a sense among NBA executives that Kawhi could threaten to sit out next sea- son if the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers are unable to work out a trade for the former NBA Finals MVP.
“According to a couple of other executives, because of the personality of Kawhi
KAWHI LEONARD Leonard and what tran-
spired last season, they said don’t rule out the possibility of Kawhi Leonard sitting out next season before he’s willing to come back to the San Antonio Spurs,” Smith said.
Smith went on to say it would be “unprofessional and unfair” if Leonard went this particular route.
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