LeBron James Believes 1 Lakers Youngster Has 'Borderline All-Star Potential': Report

Out of all the youngsters currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, new signing LeBron James reportedly believes small forward Brandon Ingram has the most potential, at least when it comes to being an All-Star.

James signed a four-year, $154 million deal with the Lakers on Sunday and is set to oversee a new era where the Los Angeles franchise are once again championship contenders.

There were rumors that in addition to James, disgruntled San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard would also be making the move to the Staples Center. However, with a year remaining on his deal, the Lakers need to either accept the Spurs' demands or wait a year and then sign him when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Ideally, it would be best if Leonard joined straight away and made them even more competitive. However, the problem is what the Spurs are demanding.

According to NBA salary cap expert and Lakers insider Larry Coon, the Spurs want Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart, as well as two first-round draft picks and the swapping of two more draft picks in exchange for the 2014 Finals MVP.

That is a steep deal, especially for a player the Lakers can get for free in a year's time. That is possibly why they have since gone after one-year deals for Lance Stephenson, Javale McGee, Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The Lakers may still yet look to do a deal with Leonard, especially if James pressures them into doing so. There's also the Paul George situation which the Lakers would want to avoid as they looked set to sign him as a free agent a year after their initial interest, only for him to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But according to ESPN's Zach Lowe, James will not be pressuring his new team at least for the time being, especially as he has approved their signings so far. Instead, he might even be fine without another superstar playing alongside him because he knows Ingram's "borderline All-Star potential" is one of the many positives at the franchise currently.

"But LeBron is a Laker, and he is not pressuring L.A. to acquire a second star now, per sources familiar with his thinking," Lowe wrote in a report for ESPN. "His decision to come alone for three guaranteed seasons speaks for itself. He knows Ingram has at least borderline All-Star potential, and that the 2019 free-agency class is loaded beyond Leonard. He has faith in the combined powers of his supernova talent and the Lakers brand."

"His patience will have limits. But reading between the lines, the Lakers probably have the next calendar year before LeBron applies urgent pressure," Lowe added.

Ingram, 20, is certainly one of the more promising youngsters in the Lakers as he averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists with 47 percent shooting during the regular season.

With Kuzma and Lonzo Ball also in the side's ranks, the latter of whom James is reportedly excited to play with, the trio's development could be further accelerated by playing alongside the three-time NBA champion. That is if the Lakers wait a year to sign Leonard.