The Los Angeles Lakers tried to make another aggressive move when they agreed to a trade for Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams last week, and it sounds like LeBron James may have had some mixed emotions about the move.
On Wednesday, the Lakers agreed to a deal with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire center Mark Williams in exchange for a package centered around Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and an unprotected 2031 first-round draft pick. The hope for L.A. was that Williams would fill some of the void left when the team traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic.
The trade was rescinded after the Lakers reportedly uncovered “multiple issues” during Williams’ physical.
While the deal was not finalized, reports have since surfaced saying that the Lakers pursued it at the direct request of Doncic. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin says LeBron took note of that, and perhaps not in the best way.
“What is clear is that Doncic will have a say. And it wasn’t lost on James’ camp, sources said, that Pelinka prioritized Doncic’s involvement upon his arrival and immediately engaged in the Williams trade that he’d asked for, when James had for years wanted the team to trade its picks to improve its roster,” McMenamin wrote in a column on Monday, referring to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
LeBron has for years wanted the Lakers to sacrifice long-term assets — like draft picks — to improve their roster in the near term. It doesn’t take a basketball genius to understand why L.A. would feel more urgency to make a move like that to appease Doncic, who is just 25 years old.
While LeBron is still playing at an elite level, the end of his Hall of Fame career is right around the corner. Doncic is only signed through next season, and the Lakers want him to become their franchise cornerstone for the next decade. They have to convince him to re-sign, which is why they will likely give him plenty of say in future decisions.
Even if James is annoyed that Doncic joined the team and was immediately given front office pull, the four-time champion should understand the Lakers’ stance. A team has to be careful about trading future assets when their best player is 40. Now that Doncic is in the mix, the situation is dramatically different.
