Two things have made the first 48 hours of free agency unusual for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
First, the Lakers have started slowly. It’s no secret Los Angeles entered free agency looking for a center, but players it was linked to have already found new homes with more aggressive teams — Brook Lopez is just across town with the Clippers. Nobody was as aggressive as the Bucks in finding a way to get Myles Turner out of Indiana. Clint Capela is back in Houston.
The Lakers are talking to agents. The names we hear now, maybe they get Al Horford, or maybe Deandre Ayton. You can feel Luka Doncic’s eyes rolling.
LeBron not Lakers’ focus
Second, for the first time in his career, LeBron James and his wishes are not the most important thing to his team during the offseason. The Lakers’ focus is on transitioning to a team built to optimize Doncic’s skills — LeBron is a part of that, but not the primary focus.
In years past, LeBron opted out of the player option at the end of his contract and used that as leverage to persuade the team to add talent. Passive-aggressive statements from him or those around him are the norm.
This year, LeBron opted in to the $52.6 million he is owed — he’s a Laker. The franchise doesn’t have to do anything to appease him. When opting in, his longtime friend and agent, Rich Paul released this statement to ESPN:
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
That’s a little more than passive-aggressive.
Where do Lakers, LeBron go from here?
Combine Paul’s statement with the slow start to free agency and…
Probably nothing. LeBron can be frustrated with the Lakers, with the team’s transition to a Doncic focus (even if he gets why), and especially with the slow start to free agency, but there isn’t some utopia out there, nor is there a simple trade that would get him to a contender at full price.
LeBron wants to be on a contender, he wants to play meaningful games — and meaningful playoff games — and be in the heart of the conversation. Additionally, LeBron has consistently sought to maximize his revenue. LeBron opted and will get paid. That means if he asks for a trade, his new team would have to match LeBron’s salary. For example, a lot of fans tried to link him to a return to Cleveland (league sources told NBC Sports the Cavaliers are not that interested, but let’s use them as a hypothetical): With a third team, a deal can be made if it’s LeBron for Darius Garland and Max Strus Why would the Cavs do that, giving up young players and getting 15 years older (and arguably worse) in the short term to rent LeBron for a year or two. And trading LeBron to Cleveland is a lot less complicated than most other destinations.
LeBron, Paul, and the rest of LeBron’s camp reportedly are monitoring the situation. They have every right to be frustrated with how the Lakers have moved through the first 48 hours of free agency.
But where is there a better option?
Which is why, come media day in the fall, expect LeBron in purple and gold, talking championship.
