LeBron James returned to the Lakers on a two-year contract extension, taking $3 million less than the max to make sure the Lakers don’t go above the second salary apron. James initially would’ve taken less money if the Lakers landed a player with salary space, but failed to do so by missing on multiple targets. LeBron reacted to the same while with Team USA, taking a positive tone to the situation.
“It takes two to tango,” LeBron told ESPN. “I think our front office, our coaching staff, they tried to do the job that they wanted to do or tried to get guys to come and it didn’t happen. And that’s OK. That’s part of the business. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.”
LeBron directly spoke about the Lakers missing out on Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, and Jonas Valuncuinas.
“So we don’t sit here and lie about or cry about it. We move on and Klay’s a great player. Obviously DeMar’s a great player. Valanciunas was one of those guys who ended up going to Washington, was someone that was in talks with us, but we move on to see how we continue to get better… I’m looking forward to this fall when I get back out there.”
The biggest offseason acquisition for the Lakers so far is rookie Dalton Knecht, who they picked with the No. 17 pick in the NBA Draft. The most talked about acquisition is Bronny James, another Draft selection. The team hasn’t landed any new players in free agency, looking likely to run their roster back under new head coach JJ Redick.
The Lakers Have Been Turned Down By Major Free Agents
The Lakers have had a complete inability to land major talent this summer, being intentionally overlooked by various targets due to a perceived poor fit on the Lakers.
Everyone has heard about how shooters love playing with LeBron James, but two of the best shooters in NBA history were on the market this summer and both chose to go elsewhere. Klay Thompson chose to sign with the Mavericks by taking less money and one less guaranteed contract year than what the Lakers had offered. Buddy Hield also signed with the Warriors after heavy interest from the Lakers.
Jonas Valuncuinas was among the first signings of free agency, taking a three-year, $30 million deal to sign with the Washington Wizards. It’s unclear what salary the Lakers offered the center, but we can assume it wasn’t the same as the Wizards. If it was the same and Jonas still chose Washington instead, that’s a personal problem that the Lakers cannot rectify.
With DeMar DeRozan heading to the Sacramento Kings, impactful free-agency signings for the Lakers are non-existent now. Hopefully, JJ Redick can extract more from the roster than what we saw Darvin Ham do last season. If Redick can’t, he might find himself dealing with the brunt of the blame despite the front office completely failing at their jobs this summer.
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