In the weeks leading up to the start of free agency, there had been plenty of chatter surrounding the possible marquee talents that the Los Angeles Lakers could potentially land on the open market.
Much of this was centered around the expectation that All-Star forward Paul George would ink a deal to join the Lakers this summer, but that didn't come to fruition, as he re-signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a lucrative deal.
In light of that, general manager Rob Pelinka vaguely addressed that situation by stating that the team doesn't count the missed opportunities that they had with Paul George, according to Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints.
Rob Pelinka says the #Lakers brass isn’t “counting losses” in terms of not getting a meeting with Paul George. Team feels “gratitude” for what they were able to do (sign LeBron James)
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) July 11, 2018
It is hard for the Lakers to dwell on that missed chance to possibly bring in George because the team never truly had a shot to land him, especially since they didn't even have a chance to sit down with him. He had made his decision to rejoin the Thunder before the free agency period had even begun. This in itself was quite a surprising move given that he has long been linked to the franchise as he had a strong desire to play for his favorite team growing up.
However, what has made this process a bit easier for the team to get beyond the PG-13 stuff is the fact they landed the biggest free agent on the market in All-Star forward LeBron James.
LeBron is, obviously, a franchise-changing player that has immediately put the team on the map to compete in the Western Conference possibly for an NBA title next season and beyond. His presence makes it much simpler to move past not having George in the mix.
The addition of the Palmdale native would have been another major step in the right direction, but it's a missed opportunity that the front office has quickly moved beyond with their focus solely directed on what lies ahead in the 2018-19 campaign.
Follow Us
Subscribe