Lakers Rumors: Latest on LeBron James' Preseason Plans and Raptors Consideration

As the Los Angeles Lakers are starting to learn, living in the moment isn't easy with LeBron James on the roster.

It will take a creative, forward-thinking focus to put the right cast of characters around him to maximize championship chances before Father Time comes calling for the 33-year-old.

And because James' activity resonates around the NBA, he spawns an almost endless stream of retroactive reporting. His what-if questions could literally rewrite the game's history books, so it's always fun to ponder the butterfly effect that could have spawned from any changes in his career.

The latest additions to the Lakers rumor mill both revolve around James, fittingly with one looking forward and the other traveling back in time.

LeBron's Remaining Preseason Schedule

While historians won't remember James' preseason work, the King has officially taken the floor three times for the Purple and Gold. He sat for the first time Saturday, and the Lakers promptly delivered their worst effort of the exhibition slate, suffering a 103-87 defeat to the Clippers.

James is expected to return to action Wednesday when the Lakers face the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas, a game that will "most likely" feature Lonzo Ball's debut, too, head coach Luke Walton said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. While the two teams will meet again Friday in San Jose, James is unlikely to participate in that tilt, multiple sources told McMenamin.

While there's some information to be gleaned about the LeBron-Lonzo pairing, much of what we were going to learn about James this preseason has already come to fruition.

He already looks comfortable in his new home. He's scored 40 points in 46 preseason minutes, compiling a ridiculous 59.1/75.0/84.6 slash line in the process. His eight turnovers pop off the page a bit, though half came in one outing. His 10 assists highlight how he'll still be very involved in the playmaking department. His willingness to run hints at tempo again being a focal point of the Lakers' attack.

We've known for a while now that the Lakers will go as far as James can take them, and that point has been hammered home this preseason.

The team is a solid plus-12 in James' 46 minutes. It's an anemic minus-42 in the 146 minutes he hasn't played. While the difference of his on/off splits might not be this dramatic in the regular season, it is telling how important he is for their success already.

The 'Dark Horse' in James' 2018 Free Agency

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While every club wants a shot at James each time he's available, the 2018 pursuit seemed like—at most—a four-team race.

The Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers were the favorites. The Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets were somewhere in the conversation, too, although their odds weren't easily calculated.

But there may have been a surprise team in the mix, too. And not just any team, but a legitimate powerhouse with 50-plus wins and a top-five net efficiency rating.

"I think at one point, Toronto was kind of a dark horse there," The Athletic's Joe Vardon said on the Yahoo Sports NBA: Chris Mannix podcast (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Feldman). "I think there was some sniffing around on both ends."

It's no surprise the Raptors would have interest. They were clearly open to change this summer, and this would have been one of the few splashes even bigger than their actual blockbuster (moving DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard).

But it's a little interesting James thought enough of Toronto to apparently do some digging. Maybe it makes sense, though.

The Raptors were the East's best team by wins (59) and net efficiency (plus-7.6) last season. They were the NBA's only club to hold top-five rankings on offense (third) and defense (fifth). Their only problem was the same it had been the previous two years—they didn't have an answer for James in the playoffs.

Signing him would have been an incredible way of addressing that issue.

Oh well. James found his home in L.A., and Toronto found its new centerpiece in Leonard. It's hard to imagine there are complaints on either side.

Statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.