As the NBA is in the midst of showcasing its best players at All-Star Weekend, it is never to early to look ahead to this summer in regards to free agency. There will be plenty of big names who will be testing the waters of free agents which includes Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James and New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins. But one player who should not be overlooked is Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Paul George.
After seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers, George was traded to the Thunder last summer. This move went down as the result of George letting the Pacers front office know that he would not re-sign with the team when he became a free agent this summer, and Indiana wanted to make sure that they were able to get something in return for him. This season with the Thunder, George is averaging 22.5 points as he has teamed with point guard Russell Westbrook and small forward Carmelo Anthony to give Oklahoma City their version of “The Big Three”. The Thunder are currently 33-26 which is good enough for second place in the Northwest Division as they are two games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, while they are in fifth place in the Western Conference. George appears to have quickly developed a solid rapport with Westbrook and Anthony, but there is a team in Southern California that is ready to rain on Oklahoma City’s parade in regards to re-signing him this summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in professional sports. The Lakers have won 16 NBA Championships which is second all-time, while their 31 appearances in the NBA Finals are the most in league history. The Lakers franchise has been home to some of the game’s greatest players which includes Jerry West, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But unfortunately for the Lakers, they have fallen on hard times as they are on pace for their fifth consecutive losing season which is the first time in franchise history that this has occurred. Recently the Lakers have missed on some of their first-round picks, while their has been upheaval in the team’s front office as well as on the sidelines. The Lakers have had five head coaches in the last six years as current head coach Luke Walton is attempting to hold on to his position.
The Lakers are in need of structure and discipline which led team owner Jeannie Buss hiring Johnson to be the franchise’s president of basketball operations last year. Johnson is attempting to shape the Lakers in his own image as the team does have some young talent to work which includes small forward Brandon Ingram, power forward Kyle Kuzma and point guard Lonzo Ball. But Johnson knows that he needs to have that star player or players to make it all come together which is what he has his sights set on for this summer. And that vision includes George wearing the Lakers famed purple and gold.
George grew up in Southern California as he was an hour outside of Los Angeles in Palmdale. George has flirted with the notion of coming home to the Lakers, while Johnson wants it to happen. But will Johnson get his wish?
The Lakers are in position to give out two max contracts to players this summer with one of those deals potentially being handed out to George. Johnson knows that you need star players on your roster in order to win in the NBA and the Lakers are desperately in needs of some players that will make it all come together. However it is not etched in stone that we’ll see George playing for the Lakers next season.
As previously mentioned, George appears to have quickly developed a rapport with Westbrook and Anthony in Oklahoma City. The Thunder have been an up and down team this season, but they’ll be playoff bound barring something catastrophic, while they are also in position to offer George more money than any other team.
On paper the Lakers youth movement looks good which could entice free agents such as George to play there, but there are other factors off of the court that star players will think long and hard about before putting their name on the bottom line.
Lonzo Ball’s father LaVar has become a lightning rod of controversy. LaVar has been extremely outspoken about the talent he feels that Lonzo has as well as that of his two younger sons in LiAngelo and LaMelo. The elder Ball has publicly been critical of Walton, while Johnson and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka have already brought him in once to talk to him about his comments. And as long as Lonzo Ball is under contract with the Lakers, I do not see any scenario where the Lakers are going to be able to recruit star players to come to Los Angeles as nobody wants to be involved with the LaVar Ball circus.
Magic Johnson
Johnson wants both George and James to join the Lakers, but at the end of the day he is going to have to face reality. The Lakers are not a player or two away, while he will have to make the very difficult decision in regards to what he’ll have to do with the Balls. Ball was Johnson’s first draft choice as he was selected second overall last June in the NBA Draft, and you have to wonder if he’ll check his ego and realize that the excess baggage that the youngster is bringing to the table is indeed a detriment to his beloved Lakers franchise.
And as for George, it appears to be a long shot for him to have a homecoming with the Lakers. George is happy with the Thunder, and aside from that, I don’t see any scenario that he would join the Lakers without at least one other big-time player heading to Los Angeles.
The Lakers have been unable to strike it big in the draft, and they’ve done even worse in free agency. There was a time when the Lakers didn’t have to beg the top free agents in the NBA to sign with them, but their current situation in regards to begging is enough to make Keith Sweat shake his head. I see things playing out this summer where the Lakers will miss out on both George and James, while Buss, Johnson and Pelinka will have to head back to the drawing board in order to find the right formula in order to turn things around for this beloved franchise.
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