A 10 Step Ideal Front Office Plan for the Lakers this Season: Step 6

Ideal Lakers 2017 2018 Front Office Plan: Step Six

So far I have laid out a scenario where the Lakers have traded away Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Luol Deng (and possibly a few rookie contract players as well), all without taking back any long term salary. Then, using that space, I showed how they can and should sign Paul George to the max, as laid out in part five of this ten part series. Now, it is time for part six, the adding of a former multi time champ and MVP, and one of the greatest players of all time. It goes like this.

Step Six: Agreeing to Sign LeBron James

From everything I've read, it still seems like James will most likely select his next team based on where he has the best chance to win. However, if more than one organization is in the running, further reports feel like his personal and business interests will lead LBJ to bring his talents to LA in the summer of 2018. For the purposes of the ideal scenario I am constructing here, we will assume he does exactly that.

First, as mentioned in part three of this plan, an ideal yet still feasible scenario for LA to maximize his signing is by convincing LeBron to take the same starting salary as George, giving the team a little more room to play with for future moves. This would be a competitive decision for LBJ as opposed to a financial one, but if the team is able to pull off the final parts of my overall plan, (the next one with a direct assist form LeBron himself), then this one-time discount would also likely give the king his best chance to compete with Golden State and land him in Hollywood, all at the same time.

Additionally, if James plans on continuing to sign shorter contracts to keep his options open going forward, this would probably only amount to a discount for the 2018-2019 season anyway. For future seasons LA could jump LeBron up to the 35% figure and the discount would end.

One thing to consider here is LeBron's age. A few months into a new deal with LA he would turn 34, and if he wanted the most security as he ages, James might actually require the same deal as George, with three guaranteed years and a fourth year at his option. In this case LeBron would be giving up a lot more over the term of a 30% max deal versus a full 35% max should he give a first year discount, but once again, for the purposes of this plan, he signs for the same as George in 2018, regardless of the length he chooses.

Let us also not forget the gauntlet thrown down by Kevin Durant who gave up a hefty amount in his prime to keep his monster team together. By contrast. any discount James gives at this point is taking place in or at least near the twilight of his career, regardless of how productive he may still look after another full season in Cleveland. It is his call, and one that would signal how much more being competitive matters to him over a few million dollars.

Either route that the Lakers choose, and whatever choice LeBron makes contractually, it is clear that the Lakers will have both the cap room and the competitive environment needed to convince the King to join Paul George and their young yet promising core of rookie scale players, featuring former #2 picks Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. Still, for the purposes of my idea yet reasonable scenario, LeBron is open to a slight discount down to George's level for at least one year (less than the larger one for a single year like Durant gave Golden State), allowing the team to pursue the next part of my plan.

Assuming James and George start in the frontcourt (and like me you believe Brandon Ingram is too slow laterally to be a full time shooting guard, forcing him to the bench into an Andre Iguodala role until LeBron ages out), then the Lakers will still have holes in the starting line up at both shooting guard and at center. It is time to lock up one of those spots.

To see who I suggest the Lakers should target, and how they go about making it happen, read my next post. Step Seven: Retaining Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

To let me know what you think of my plan so far, you can tweet me @plain_fiction, or email me directly at plainfiction@gmail.com.

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