The Lakers struck out in free agency, but LeBron James isn’t blaming the team or front office for not signing any big names.
The Lakers and LeBron James likely had grand plans for free agency once The King expressed a willingness to take a pay cut. Klay Thompson eventually became the focus, but the inclusion of a name like James Harden in the initial reports also paints a picture of the pie-in-the-sky signing the Lakers had in mind.
There was no best-case scenario that played out. Plan A didn’t work and there was no Plan B or C that followed. In fact, the Lakers are one of only three teams yet to bring in a new player.
Only three teams haven't made a single free agent or trade acquisition thus far this offseason:
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 11, 2024
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Los Angeles Lakers
Any new players were acquired via the draft or via two-way signings.
(Denver and Utah have agree to terms with free agents.)
Eventually, LeBron punted the idea of taking a pay cut and signed a deal that still helped the Lakers, but not as much as either side may have hoped or thought entering free agency.
In a recent interview with Dave McMenamin of ESPN, LeBron talked about missing out on free agents. His message was similar to the one vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka had at the trade deadline.
“It takes two to tango. 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 don’t.
“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.”
It’s not fun to say and it feels like an excuse, but it is true that you have to have two consenting parties to acquire a player, whether via trade or free agency signing.
They were clearly going after Klay Thompson, offered him more money and saw him turn it down to play with the Mavericks. There isn’t a whole lot else the Lakers can do in that situation.
The Lakers aren’t entirely out of options and could still make some trades and free up some cap space elsewhere. But for as much frustration as there has been about the Lakers offseason, it’s important to make sure it’s properly channeled.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
