Getty Anthony Davis, left, and LeBron James of the Lakers.
The Lakers went into last summer with LeBron James on hand but with a long list of question marks all over the rest of the roster heading into this NBA season. The team had tried to make a trade with the Pelicans for star forward Anthony Davis back at the February deadline but failed to get a deal through. The trade was revived in June, but the Lakers were still on the lookout for a third star to join James and Davis.
There had been a meeting with free-agent forward Kawhi Leonard, but Leonard was taking his time with his decision, waiting a full week into free agency before he agreed to a contract with the Clippers, who also acquired Paul George from the Thunder.
Free agent forward Kawhi Leonard has informed runners-up teams of his plans: He’s signing with the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN.
The Lakers, in retrospect, were annoyed by Leonard’s approach to free agency. It prevented the team from pursuing other star-caliber players to put with Davis and James. But, as owner Jeanie Buss pointed out in an interview with The Athletic, it worked out nicely for L.A.
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It was in free agency that the Lakers had to fill out around James and Davis. After Leonard’s decision, the team moved to bring in Leonard’s Raptors teammate, Danny Green, as well as bringing back JaVale McGee, Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. They also added DeMarcus Cousins on a one-year deal.
“We then went through free agency, which was a little odd just because decisions were being, you know, kind of stretched long,” Buss said. “But I think we recovered well from the delay. And you know, the roster that Rob Pelinka put together, really you’re now seeing what the vision was, because it is a versatile team that can go big, can go small, and that doesn’t really show until you’re in the playoffs.”
Lakers Went ‘All-In’ To Help LeBron James
But the Davis deal was the most significant, by far. He has averaged 28.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 57.1% from the field in the playoffs thus far, giving the Lakers a 1-2 punch that no Western Conference team—the Trail Blazers, Rockets or Nuggets—has been able to solve. The Lakers won all three series in five games heading into their Finals appearance against the East champion Heat.
There was some trepidation in giving up young talent like Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, but Buss said there has been no second-guessing.
“It was really the right thing for us to do, because when you have somebody like LeBron James, and where he is in his career, you’ve got to go all in,” she told The Athletic.
Anthony Davis, LeBron James Did Not Need Kawhi Leonard
Davis, who had never been to the conference finals before, let alone the Finals, spoke about the lethality of the combination he forms with James. While it might have been nice for the Lakers to add a third piece, like Leonard, they have not needed it to this point.
Davis said part of the reason for that is the responsibility he and James feel toward each other and the organization.
Respect. Leadership. Family.
LeBron and Anthony Davis after clinching the WCF
“It’s throughout the entire series, every playoff series we have been, either he takes over or I take over just to kind of get the team going,” he said. “But we don’t want to let each other down. We know why I came here. We want to win a championship. We’re four wins away, so close to our goal. He takes that responsibility, he feels like if we don’t, he’s letting me down. I feel like if we don’t, I am letting him down. We let our team down, the organization down. We don’t want to have that feeling.”
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Lakers’ Owner Takes Dig at Kawhi Leonard: ‘We Recovered Nicely’