One executive with the unnamed La Lakers believes that the speculation surrounding LeBron James and their future are coming together.
LeBron James and La Lakers have been in a rather intense relationship over the past few months. After the franchise landed Luka Donsic in trade, James’ relationship with them changed dramatically.
The Lakers focus on Luka Donsic rather than LeBron James. The priority for Rob Perinka and the franchise is to keep Luka Donsic in the long term.
But this caused problems for them. LeBron James revealed he wants to win the championship. However, the Lakers initially did not put together their roster with that goal.
Finally, when the Lakers signed Jake Laravia and DeAndre Ayton, it appears LeBron James came to their decision.
James and the Lakers promise to build a competitor. So when rumors of his exit resurfaced, an anonymous executive didn’t understand why.
An anonymous La Lakers executive spoke with Keith Smith of Spotrac. He closes the story when LeBron James talks about rumors that he wants to leave the Lakers.
He pointed out that player options are not a powerful tool for teams that fans might think of. And the Lakers are happy that James is opted in and is completely on board and he is still around.
“Whenever you sign an option to a player, they are willing to provide control to guide the situation first. But this notion that a player’s options gives the player all their power is pretty stupid.
“If they opt out, the team is a partner in whether they will re-sign them. If they opt in, the team is a partner in what happens next.
“For LeBron, he has a player choice and has decided to opt in. I’m happy he’s still a Laker.”
An anonymous Lakers coach also spoke about his signature so far. His comments came before Marcus Smart signed with the Lakers, but it appears to suggest that the team is excited about what they did.
“We’re still working on some tweaks. I don’t know we’re finished. I want to add a little more depth. But we’re feeling pretty good about our roster now.
“Good versatility, improved depth before, added some shooting. There’s still a few things in the front office, so you can see what it will look like when camp begins.”
The Lakers may have more opportunities to sign ahead of the new season. Many NBA executives believe that if the Lakers leave the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers will be their favorite to take Jrue’s holiday overland.
Dealing with their defensive weaknesses, central depth and wing depth was a priority for the Lakers. And it’s safe to say they did well this offseason.