Despite the Los Angeles Lakers scoring coup after coup this offseason, LeBron James is still waiting for a shoe to drop.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James has not wavered from his desire to see the Lakers make win-now moves.
“I’m told that the statement that Rich Paul gave to Shams Charania back in June when LeBron opted in still stands,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said on “NBA Today” on Aug. 4, “that LeBron and his representatives will be monitoring the Lakers’ moves that they make because they recognize that there’s only a very limited amount of time left in his career and he wants to be competing for championships. Whatever time that is.”
When James exercised his $52.6 million player option without a contract extension offer, Paul issued a strong statement to ESPN, fueling the rumor mill surrounding James’ future with the Lakers.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told Charania in June. “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.”
The Lakers still have a first-round pick (2031 or 2032) and over $50 million in expiring salaries to use in a potential trade.
LeBron Reaches Out to Luka
James’ camp took notice of the Lakers’ pivot from him to their new franchise star, the 26-year-old Luka Doncic, who signed a three-year, $165 million extension on Aug. 2.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul continued in his statement. “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.”
Apart from getting Doncic’s long-term commitment, the Lakers have made two win-now moves by addressing their frontcourt woes with the addition of Deandre Ayton and bolstering their perimeter defense with Marcus Smart, a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
The Lakers also added 23-year-old wing Jake LaRavia for their first offseason signing after Dorian Finney-Smith bolted for the Houston Rockets.
James was noticeably absent during Doncic’s press conference to make his long-term commitment to the franchise official.
But according to NBA insider Marc Stein, “LeBron FaceTimed Doncic on Saturday morning to congratulate him on the new deal.”
Perhaps James avoided upstaging his co-star on the biggest day of his Lakers career to date.
Lakers Receive Positive Feedback From James’ Camp
Despite the negative publicity that James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul’s previous statement, has generated, James remains supportive of Doncic and the franchise, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“The one thing I can say, though, is that he has been very supportive and very understanding of where this Lakers organization is headed, and that’s what Luca Doncic is the face [of the franchise],” Charania said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Aug. 4. “And I think the Lakers, as well, are equally as understanding that he wants to be in a situation where he feels comfortable, and at the end of the day, ending his career on his own terms.”
Lakers president Rob Pelinka essentially said the same during Doncic’s press conference on Aug. 2 when asked about James’ sentiment about their roster-building this offseason.
“So all the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp, Rich in particular, have been positive and supportive, so very professional and Rich [Paul] has been great,” Pelinka told reporters. “The dialogue with him has been open and constant. So that helps answer that question.”
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