The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to some high-profile names recently, although there has been nothing concrete inked yet.
The likes of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Kyle Kuzma, and Kyrie Irving have all been looked at as potential future Lakers, much to the delight and chagrin of the Laker fandom. However, it must be worth noting that LA has signed only two superstars off Free Agency in the last 26 years.
Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James are the two big names who were acquired by the Purple and Gold, and safe to say, both parties have benefited from it by winning championships, which has always been the ultimate objective.
Now, the narrative has changed, and contrary to popular belief, the City of Angels isn’t the first and preferred destination for free agents. And this means the Lakers will have a tough summer of 2023 and 2024 when they look to bolster their side with proven matchwinners to play alongside James and Anthony Davis.
The team has already been enduring a woeful couple of seasons. The Lakers were favorites to win the title after the pandemic for the second time in a row, but injuries to their superstars derailed their chances after they were pipped by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
O’Neal became a free agent after the 1995-96 season and was with the Purple and Gold right up to 2004 when his fame and feud came in equal measure, the latter, especially during his final run with the unit. He was traded to the Miami Heat for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a future first-rounder.
His foray into the Lakers was made possible by former franchise legend Jerry West, who had told him that he could be what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — something that the big man readily accepted as a challenge.
The next big name was James, who opted out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018. And like West, James had a magnetic and charismatic personality in Magic Johnson playing his part in getting him to sign the dotted line.
The following year saw them end their season with a 33-49 run, and the ongoing edition threatens to take the same route. They started 0-5 before their stars combined to pull them out of the rut they were in. Until Davis suffered a stress fracture that now sees him ruled out indefinitely.
The side has been reliant on James to bail them out every game, and the veteran did enough before taking his shots at the front office, who seems to be the ones partly responsible for free agents looking the other way.
The Los Angeles Lakers Aren’t The Preferred Destination For Stars
As counterintuitive as it seems, the question of why is fairly simple to answer. For starters, this is a team that has one of the greatest players to have played the sport, and that means playing with him comes with its pros and cons.
And while he may just be part of the issue, the other aspect is the front office’s inability to make the right decisions that would instantly put them back as postseason favorites, at the minimum.
Over the years, there have been certain players who have looked the other way after being heavily touted to join the Lakers. For instance, Kawhi Leonard was one of the players expected to join LA. He did, but he signed with the Clippers instead.
He had his reasons, and former Laker Danny Green felt his Raptors teammate chose the Clippers to take his “own route.” According to Yahoo! Sports:
“I feel like he wanted to go his own route. I think it was between them and going back. I think the year that he had and what those fans brought this season and everything it was hard for him to turn it down and leave Toronto. But I knew he wanted to be closer to home.”
As was the case with Kevin Durant, who didn’t even consider the franchise in the summer of 2016 and 2019. He is now a driving force with Irving for the Brooklyn Nets. As did Jimmy Butler, who never had LA on his mind. There was a time when he was heavily linked to LA, but the versatile and explosive forward felt he leaned heavily toward the Miami Heat Culture.
Quite simply, the Lakers aren’t the glitzy attraction at the fair anymore. The last few years have seen stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Ja Morant emerge as champions for their respective teams, and that proves that one can be a superstar in any market.
Adding to the fact that the Lakers front office is always one with ample drama — the most recent of which was when they picked Russell Westbrook over DeRozan, who would have changed the entire outcome of the previous and the present season. And now, ironically, they want the star forward back. This means the change needs to start right at the top.
For now, this could have fans leaning to both sides, but given the current situation, the Lakers might not really be the one free agents and potential superstars would want to play for.
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