The Los Angeles Lakers made some significant moves during the first two days of free agency and LeBron James is pumped about it.
James jumped on Instagram to celebrate his new teammates, posting pictures of every one of them, including Russell Westbrook, who the Lakers traded for last week.
LeBron nos stories do seu Instagram, parece que tá animado.
🎥@KingJames (Instagram)
The Lakers ended up with quite the haul to build around their superstar trio. Here’s a recap of the players the Lakers brought on board:
- Carmelo Anthony (per ESPN)
- Dwight Howard (per ESPN)
- Trevor Ariza (per ESPN)
- Malik Monk (per ESPN)
- Wayne Ellington (via Yahoo Sports)
- Kent Bazemore (per The Athletic)
- Kendrick Nunn (via The Athletic)
LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony Finally Team Up
The most notable signing in relation to James was Anthony. The duo have long wanted to be teammates and now have a chance to chase a ring together in Los Angeles.
“I don’t run the team and obviously there’s some things that need to be worked out on both sides,” James said in 2018 when the initial rumors swirled about Anthony joining him in Los Angeles. “But I’ve always wanted to play along Melo and if the opportunity presents itself, it would be great. So we’ll see what happens.”
The move was criticized because of Anthony’s age (37) but he still brings his lethal scoring ability to the table. He averaged 13.4 points per game last season with the Trail Blazers, playing just over 24 minutes per game. He also shot over 40% from beyond the arc, which makes him a valuable addition to a Lakers squad that lacked shooting last season. Jova Buha of The Athletic broke down the signing and how it will impact the Lakers.
He doesn’t rebound, pass or play defense, so the Lakers will only turn to Anthony in instances in which they need his shooting and/or scoring. He allows the Lakers to play Davis at the five and surround him with frontcourt shooting. He’s also best friends with James, which helps from a chemistry and role standpoint.
Lakers Said LeBron James Would Have Roster Input
The Lakers have almost completely retooled the roster through free agency, with James, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol and Talen Horton-Tucker being the lone holdovers from last year’s squad that finished 42-30 and was bounced in the first round of the playoffs.
When last season ended, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said he would consult James and Davis when it came to improving the roster.
“I think when it comes to roster building, you guys know we’ve been very collaborative,” Pelinka said. “Anthony Davis and LeBron James are championship pillars of this franchise for years to come and of course, they’re going to be involved in how we build our roster and how we have built our roster. They are both great basketball minds, and Frank (Vogel) as well.”
That certainly seemed to be the case this offseason, with James and Davis meeting with Westbrook privately a few weeks before the blockbuster trade went down, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.
The Lakers still have a few more spots to fill on their roster, so we’ll see what Pelinka and Co. come up with.
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LeBron James Reacts to Lakers Loaded Free Agency Haul