The Lakeshow Review

There’s a new sheriff in L.A. His name is Luka.

After inking his 3 year/$165, it is clear that LA has its sights set on building around their newly minted Slovenian Superstar. This is a new era for the Lakers, after 7 years of building around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In Luka, the Lakers have yet another franchise cornerstone to build around, and it looks like they intend to make the most out of that partnership. It’s hard to say, especially for us on the outside looking in, as to what exactly stirred these winds of change. Was it new ownership, or simply a sign of the times, or most likely some combination thereof. What is clear is that the Lakers are proceeding with the intentions of setting forth a new era, and a new standard for Lakers Basketball.

This summer marks a firm detour from the direction in which the franchise had been headed in the last few years. It appears as though the Lakers are no longer pandering to the whims of Klutch Sports or LeBron James. They seem to understand that with Luka in the fold, they have both the imperative and the luxury to adhere to their own timeline, on their own terms. They can let Luka be their franchise player while still allowing their front office to operate as a front office. As opposed to the de facto front office that we had been privy to in the form of Klutch Sports. LA can now operate on its own will without the threat or distractions of outside influences, be it players or agents. They can exercise their patience and fine judgment when it comes to personnel decisions, as opposed to trying to meet the needs of other parties. Perhaps some of this shift was spearheaded by the new ownership group, led by Mark Walter. But one thing’s for sure, the Lakers are manning their own ship once again.

The Lakers did a brilliant thing this summer. Aside from re-signing Luka, they did something that perhaps set the table for their newfound direction. They went as far as to not even put a contract extension on the table for LeBron this summer. This signalled two things; one, it makes it clear that the Lakers at the very least don’t mind moving on from LeBron, and most definitely don’t view him as the centerpiece of the roster any longer. And two, and maybe more importantly, it signals to Luka that he’s the man. It’s his team and the team is committed to him. Additionally, they signed his guys this summer; Deandre Ayton, a pick and roll big who can finish everything (and shares an agent with Luka), and Marcus Smart, a defensive ace who Luka helped recruit. This summer has had Luka’s fingerprints all over. His influence over the team is undeniable, and he’s clearly the man now.

There have been rumblings that LeBron is still “monitoring the situation”. Which is hilarious. There’s nothing to “monitor”. He opted in to the final year on his deal, and there has been no extension on the table from LAs side. LeBron has no leverage over this organization at this point in time, or moving forward. If he wanted to flex his GM powers, he could have opted OUT of his deal. But he would’ve run the risk of LA simply letting him walk, which he understood. Not to mention, very few teams had the requisite cap room to outright pay LeBron what he wants to be paid. None of the teams he would’ve liked to join would’ve had that cap space either. LeBron has very little control over the Lakers at this point. He’s going to turn 41 in December, and the Lakers don’t view him as a long term pillar. They will have cap space next summer to resign LeBron. Close to $56M to be exact, and it’s doubtful they’ll be offering LeBron a big chunk of that knowing that the gameplan is now to build around Luka. This isn’t 2018 when the Lakers gave LeBron the keys to the franchise. He’s no longer that player, and the Lakers are no longer that team.

Next summer, LA will have the cap room and assets to continue to add consequential pieces to the roster. They’ve preserved all of their ammunition in terms of assets and draft picks. So they will be well-equipped to swing deals during the trade deadline next February, or during the offseason next summer. This roster is still incomplete, and will remain so as long as LeBron is taking up over 30% of the cap at age 41. There simply wasn’t any money to add pieces this summer. But there’ll be plenty of opportunity to add pieces next summer, when they’ll have all of the big contracts aside from Luka’s off the books. The Lakers have done a good job of navigating this offseason with patience. Eventually landing on their big fish with Luka’s new deal. They should maintain this type of discipline moving forward, as it’ll serve them well in their pursuit of building sustainable greatness. Go Lakers.