Isaiah’s Conflict With His Role
Within a couple hours of the announcement of the Lakers/Cavs trade that sent Isaiah to L.A., there were already rumors that he wouldn’t accept a bench role with the team. As he was joining the team, Isaiah dispelled any of those rumors by saying he wanted to help the team win anyway they wanted him to.
If Isaiah were to stay with the team, the Lakers would definitely assure him again that the starting point guard position belongs to Lonzo Ball. The Lakers wouldn’t have drafted him number two overall if they didn’t plan for him to be the starting point guard right away, and for many years to come after that.
With the current roster, Isaiah still would be the clear back-up point guard, but still would see many minutes. If he is offered a deal with the Lakers and signs with them, he will also have to accept his new and permanent bench role. Until that happens, it’ll be unclear whether or not Isaiah is fine with that.