The Lakers‘ path to a sixth straight non-playoff season began with a string of questionable free agent signings after they landed LeBron James, writes Marc Stein of the New York Times. In a look at what went wrong in L.A. this season, Stein notes that team president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka surrounded James with JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Michael Beasley, a shaky group of shooters who all have checkered pasts.
The Lakers had planned to give LeBron a season to mesh with the team’s collection of young talent before making a bid for Anthony Davis, Stein adds, but that changed when Davis submitted a trade request to the Pelicans in late January. The fallout from repeated leaked offers affected the players who were reportedly involved — Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart — and fractured the locker room, as the players know negotiations will resume in the offseason.
Lakers management will face intense pressure to shake up the organization this summer and produce a winner, Stein notes. Head coach Luke Walton will almost certainly be replaced and a roster overhaul appears imminent. Cap room is available to make another free agent splash, but the front office will have to be much smarter about how it spends its money.
There’s more Lakers news this morning:
- James remains confident that his team will move in the right direction this summer, relays Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. After Thursday’s loss in Toronto, James was asked about the organization’s ability to appeal to the upcoming free agent class, which includes the Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard. “I think everybody knew that coming into this year it was still going to be challenging even if we were all healthy and played all 82 games,” James responded. “… We have an opportunity to get better this summer through free agency, and through the draft, and I believe our front office and our coaching staff are going to make that happen.”
- Everyone who suggested the Lakers should shut down LeBron for the rest of the season is missing the big picture, contends Michael Lee of The Athletic. James has little chance of winning three more championships to match Michael Jordan’s six, but he can still pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s career scoring leader. He’s nearly 6,000 points behind and needs to play as much as possible to have a chance.
- Antawn Jamison, now working as a scout with the Lakers, talks about his aspirations to become a GM someday in an interview with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype.
When Lebum signed this summer, nobody considered them contenders. Why this season is shocking is beyond me lol. They signed a bunch of vets to 1 year deals to make a FA chase next year.
the media put out that Lakers would be a playoff team. the lakers early season success was a mirage and they played into it. LeBron is reaching the age where you start to decline fast. Problem is expectations that LeBron would still be the top player at his age. see Puljos about that.
Plashke can can go jump in a Lake.
We get it. Every post this dude calls him Lebum. “Lebum” has more talent and money in a pink than you will ever in your life.
Clubber, it must be really difficult to hate a 35 year old basketball player so that that it controls you. LeBron has been a really good and clean dude off the court, he is clearly one of the best guys on the court. I’m sorry that your obsessed with Lebron’s success, it must be maddening.
Lebron’s descent has started and his decline will be fast and steep. Just like Kobe, Dirk, Shaq, Iverson, Webber, And KG.
Except he has still played really well. That team is god awful. They struck out badly this year.
That’s just a list of basketball players.
I’ll bet Lebron thought he would show up in LA and they would be in the conf finals. He is that arrogant.
I bet he moved to LA to build his brand beyond being a basketball player. He starts filming multiple movies this summer. He wants to win, but it’s no longer his only motivation. LeBron is playing with a circus of unproven oft injured young guys and unfit oft injured vets.
I am glad Bron Bron is confident in TRAGIC and Company because nobody else is. What a disaster.
Lol, what’s so Tragic about Magic’s life? He’s living high on the hog, on mt Rushmore of nba greats… he will almost certainly end up owning the team… And he’s lived an AIDS free life. Don’t be a jerk.
my sources say jimmy butler to the lakers this summer’s a done deal. maybe lebron could pry lillard?
Are your sources NBA2K19?
Man all the haters are out on LBJ!!! Arc89, do you know what you talking about? Decline? LBJ’s numbers are more than worthy for an MVP, better than when Curry wont them anyway… So if this is decline, many of the players you mentioned would have been happy to have his stats in their pick years… so your point is pretty pointless, right?
nope he is in decline. He is playing on a team with no other offense options so of course he will score. That is the problem LeBron is not good at making those around him better. So if he is so good why are the Lakers so bad?
Are Lakers fans now back tracking and saying they didnt think LBJ and the Lakers would be a playoff team? Ha! For 3 months after the LBJ signing all we heard was how they are a top 4 team and blah, blah, blah. Realists knew this was a fantasy.
Lebron, Ingram, Ball, Rondo all missed 20+ games and you actually think this was a full strength team that missed the playoffs. Realists know if that didn’t happen they were easily a playoff team.
If everything panned out and without injuries, they’d still be a 6-8 seed. Nobody expected any more than that. their record is about right if you factor in all of the major time multiple key players missed.
I’d love to see Antawn Jamison become a GM in time to sign Vince Carter to a contract. How often would that happen to players traded for each other on their draft day? Still the longest of long shots.
He took Rich Paul’s advice… if you suck in Cleveland you’ll wish you went to LA. If you suck in Philly you’ll wish you went to LA. If you suck in LA, well you’re still in LA.
Remember when the Lakers were a respectable organization run by Dr. Jerry?
James. Quit in game 6 of 2010 playoffs vs Boston with game still winnable. Whines about coach brown. Blamed coach/ownership after losses. Gloated after wins. Owner fired coach to convince James to stay. James goes on national tv to make “decision”. Proof he believes in one thing only. Self promotion.
Greatest player ever. No question. Most valuable. Not close.
Ego driven pretender. A fraud.