Things have not exactly been going according to plan so far in free agency for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who are in desperate need of a roster shakeup but are seeing their potential avenues for doing so dwindling in real time. Recently, it was reported by Brian Windhorst of ESPN that James–who had opted out of his contract–was willing to take a pay cut on his next deal in order to help Los Angeles lure in a star–but with Klay Thompson and James Harden now off the market, it would seem that James will now take the full money he is able to make.
One person who is not so convinced that the James ultimatum was anything more than an elaborate public relations stunt was noted James critic and FS1 sports media personality Skip Bayless, who recently took to X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter, to relay his thoughts.
“LAKER NATION: No way LeBron was going to take less than the max $160 mil for 3 yrs – so no way the Lakers could compete with the Mavs' offer for Klay (including no state tax). Rich Paul was just blowing PR smoke setting up LBJ as the poor sacrificing superstar who has no help,” wrote Bayless.
Rich Paul of course has been known to pull off a PR stunt or two in his time, and James has long been known as a puppet master of the NBA media, able to create storylines out of thin air at times throughout his career to passive-aggressively put pressure on his own teams or to increase his favor in the public.
What should the Lakers do now?
As previously mentioned, the Lakers have already swung and missed on Klay Thompson, who signed with the Dallas Mavericks, and James Harden, who opted to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers. One interesting name still on the market is that of Chicago Bulls shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, who is still a talented scorer; however, DeRozan's love of the mid range game might contradict new Lakers head coach JJ Redick's three point heavy philosophy, calling into question just how well the talented shooting guard would fit alongside James and Davis, neither of whom is known for perimeter shooting in their own right.
The Lakers still have other options on the table, including potential trade targets scattered throughout the Western Conference. One of those targets is Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, who boasts a unique combination of size and three-point marksmanship that in theory would be exactly what Los Angeles is looking for, even if he doesn't bring a whole lot to the table in the way of defense.
Elsewhere, Jerami Grant of the Portland Trail Blazers is another enticing name, even if his contract isn't exactly the most palatable.
In any case, if the Lakers don't end up making any big moves, this offseason will have been an unmitigated failure for Rob Pelinka and company as they look to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Western Conference playoff picture.
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