LeBron James' antics have not changed despite making a change of coast, as the Los Angeles Lakers star is still playing the role of front office executive, having a say in who his teammates will be over the course of this busy free agency window, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst.
The Lakers agreed to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, and Lance Stephenson only minutes after James' deal was announced — an avalanche of signings that didn't exactly match the blueprint he's long wanted — veteran players with high basketball IQ.
So what were the Lakers thinking?
Article Continues Below“Here is the answer: exactly what James and Lakers president Magic Johnson planned when they met for more than three hours on the first night of free agency. According to multiple sources within the Lakers and close to James, this is the rollout of a plan Johnson outlined for James the night of June 30 at James' home. The signings, which sources say James has consulted on but have been executed at Johnson and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka's direction, follow this vision.”
Those signings were followed by the acquisition of Rajon Rondo for a one-year, $9 million deal, making it that much more head-scratching with Lonzo Ball already at the point guard position.
As it seems, how this team performs will fall on the shoulders of James as well as Johnson's over the course of this season.