The Los Angeles Lakers are in a bit of a quandary. On one hand they wanna still compete for championships in the highly competitive Western Conference, and that’s something LeBron James has consistently stated is imperative to him continuing to play. But, on the other hand they also wanna turn the direction of their franchise from the Klutch-centric approach to more of a this is your team, Luka Dončić.
Per reports, that approach or push for a changing of the guard isn’t sitting well with James or his inner circle led by his agent Rich Paul, the founder of Klutch Sports. Despite James opting in to his $52.6 million player option for the upcoming season, rumors claim he’s upset about being left out of the loop about to the team being sold to Mark Walter. Some believe he won’t finish the season in a Lakers uniform, because for the first time since his four-year run in Miami with the Heat he doesn’t have the pulse or ear of the franchise’s decision makers.
ESPN Reporters Say This Is Luka’s Team
Not long after the Lakers were eliminated in five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first-round of the Western Conference playoffs, Dončić was seen leaving a private dinner at Craig’s in West Hollywood with GM Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick. Per reports, the meeting was to convince the still only 25-year-old generational talent to be the face of the future for the Lakers.
The 40-year-old LeBron James was nowhere to be found. But what happened next is further proof that the franchise under Walter is ready to move in a different direction. Per ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne and Brian Windhorst, Lakers brass only told Dončić that they were selling the team.
“When the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter on June 18, Doncic was given a heads-up and notably posted a congratulations on social media afterward,” Shelburne and Windhorst reported Friday.
“James was not given the same notice and did not post any public acknowledgement afterward.”
That says everything, James isn’t happy with how the Lakers are moving, and this is his way of expressing that. It’s this and the aforementioned Paul putting out contradictory statements to him opting in.
LeBron Opted In Despite No Extension Talks
Immediately following news that James has indeed opted in to his player option, the aforementioned Paul released this statement on his client’s behalf.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career,” Paul said.
“He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
Odd, because as we speak, the Lakers are not championship contenders in the Western Conference. LBJ’s time in Tinseltown is winding down, and the sale of the team to the Mark Walter Group, which also owns the Dodgers, did it.
There’s a shift happening in the City of Angels, and it’s to keep Dončić from leaving after next season when he has a player option to do so.
