LeBron James' Lakers Move Won't Affect Warriors' Championship Chances, Shaquille O'Neal Says

Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal was surprised by LeBron James' move to his former team but does not expect that to change anything when it comes to the NBA playoffs.

James was officially unveiled as a Laker earlier this month following news that he agreed a four-year, $154 million deal after opting out of his Cleveland Cavaliers contract.

In a move that will see him join a third team in his professional career as well as his first in the Western Conference, the Lakers are now expected to return to old glories as after finishing with a 35-47 record last season, they have since emerged as title contenders following the signing of the 33-year-old.

Before the move was made official, there was much debate about where James would end up. The Philadelphia 76ers were heavily linked with a move for the Akron native, while the likes of the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets were also contenders.

It is one of the reasons why O'Neal was surprised by his eventual move to Los Angeles as he implied James may have had a better chance of adding to his three rings elsewhere, especially as he does not expect the Golden State Warriors' dominance to end anytime soon.

"I would have thought because -- see, we all have egos. When I had my three rings, I wanted to get four before Kobe (Bryant) did. Now, we got four, then Kobe got five. I didn't want Tim Duncan to get five," O'Neal recently told NOLA.com. "So, I thought LeBron's process was going to be, 'I got three, Steph Curry's got three. I'm going to stay here, bring some people or go to a team I can get four before (Curry) got four.'"

"I don't see that happening because Golden State just added [DeMarcus] Cousins. So when I was playing, I didn't want anyone saying they had more rings than me. Seems to me Golden State is going to get at least two more."

O'Neal's reasoning is valid as he believes moving to the Lakers is not a quick fix.

While the 16-time champions now look more than likely to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013, they will still have to get past either the Golden State Warriors, who won their third championship in four years last month, or the Rockets, who finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, to even make the NBA Finals.

In addition, with Cousins now in the Warriors' ranks, the Bay Area side could boast a starting lineup consisting solely of All-Stars once he is injury-free. The Lakers' chances of building their own super team meanwhile, took a hit when Kawhi Leonard eventually joined the Toronto Raptors while Paul George opted to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

However, the Lakers have a promising young core of players and with the additions of veterans in the form of Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and Javale McGee, they could spring a surprise in the new James era.