It seems like LeBron James is done playing nice. In financial terms, that is. When the time came for his free agency decision, the franchise superstar opted out and graciously offered to take a pay cut in his re-signing. But on one condition – get the right man to play alongside him and Anthony Davis. A third superstar. However, every single person on the Lakers’ radar declined any partnership, with their last chance DeMar DeRozan still edging around whatever the Purple & Gold has offered.

Add in the latest trade chatter of unwelcoming East competition from Miami. It is not helping their case, either. It was under such circumstances that details of LeBron James’ deal with the Lakers dropped. A 2-year $104 million contract with a player option and a no-trade clause for the 2025-26 season was the King‘s choice. That is a $52 million annual salary for the all-time scoring leader.

While he deserves all that and probably even more, it significantly puts his team on a tightrope. Not to mention, this move is reminiscent of one of his signature moves. Don’t remember which?

“It is a page out of his playbook in Cleveland,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic pointed out on Buha’s Block. “It seems like he has backed to that approach now in Los Angeles as he is clearly not thrilled with the current roster.” 

The Lakers beat writer was referring to none other than the first-of-its-kind one-plus-one deals that LeBron James introduced and a few players like Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant have made use of. And this was exactly the limitation.

Only players of Wade and KD’s caliber could negotiate such a deal. But on successful execution, it would provide the player with complete control over his future while keeping the team on their toes. Simply because if things didn’t pan out right, the player could take his talents elsewhere.

“As of right now, the Lakers have swapped out Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie and replaced them with Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. Depending on how good Dalton Knecht is, that could be a positive swap. But it’s tough to say the Lakers are a better team than they were at the end of last season,” Buha pointed out.

And why would that be?

LeBron James and Co. could very well be looking at a repeat of last season

The short answer is that the West is loading up. Many of the teams in the Western Conference have made some serious changes in the free agency and are looking like legitimate contenders. Not that they weren’t the previous season. On the other Coast, we already saw how Oklahoma and Minnesota established their dominance on the court. And they have made sure to put themselves in an even better position in the upcoming season.

“Looking at the rest of the West and seeing the number one seed OKC adding Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. The New Orleans Pelicans, a team the Lakers were directly battling for playoff seating, they just added Dejounte Murray. Minnesota added the number eight pick and Rob Dillingham. Memphis is coming in healthier. Houston is on the rise, Dallas added Klay Thompson. The West is loading up, getting younger, and more athletic,” Buha said.

Watching all of this were the Lakers’ superstars, LeBron and AD. And both of them wanted to see major upgrades on the roster. That was the reason why James was willing to take the pay cut, after all. However, Buha believes that LeBron grew impatient with the lack of progress from Los Angeles’ front office. “I think LeBron just got tired of waiting and decided ‘I’m just going to sign this two-year $104 million deal. Lakers aren’t going to be able to land a notable player.'”

It was also reported that the Lakers were in discussion with Rich Paul to see if Bron would take a slight pay cut. Going above the second tax apron wouldn’t bode well for them. On paper, JJ Redick’s addition should give them an advantage. But how much of that translates into winning is something we have to wait and see.

 But before you go, be sure to check this video of Leonard Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe.

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