Los Angeles Lakers are being run by LeBron James

What does the failed attempt to trade for Anthony Davis mean for the Los Angeles Lakers?

In the aftermath of New Orleans’ refusal to trade Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, despite the fact that Magic Johnson was willing to offer virtually the entire Lakers roster, one thing became more clear. The offers made by the Lakers had LeBron James’ fingerprints all over them. It is apparent that Magic has given James the keys to the car, essentially allowing him to take control of the team.

There is no denying that LeBron is a fabulous player. He is blessed with the greatest combination of strength and quickness ever seen, and he knows how to make the most of it. He is almost un-guardable one-on-one when he drives to the hoop. And he is a willing and excellent passer.

But off the court is another matter. The influence that he exerts on team affairs, such as roster construction and coaches, is far greater than that of any player in any sport. When a team signs James, they must realize that LeBron will go to nearly any length to get what he wants.

Influence on Magic Johnson:

Magic staked his position with the Lakers on his success at signing two elite free agents between 2018 and 2019. A year ago, he refused to part with ANY of the team’s young talent to trade for Paul George, expecting that he’d sign with the Lakers as a free agent anyway.

As it turned out, the day before free agency started, George announced he was re-signing with OKC, never even giving Magic a chance at a face-to-face meeting.

But LeBron had already decided he was coming to LA regardless of who else the Lakers did or didn’t sign. So Johnson had his first star.

This time around, Magic was ready to trade the ENTIRE young core for Davis. Yes, AD is a better player than PG. And yes, Davis won’t be a free agent until 2020. But there is no question that James was behind the move, twisting Johnson’s arm to get another star NOW.

Need more evidence of LBJ’s influence on Magic? The Lakers just made a 2-for-1 trade with the Clippers, including fast-improving and fan favorite Ivica Zubac, to clear a spot on the roster for LeBron’s good friend Carmelo Anthony, whose best days are FAR behind him.

It is obvious that LeBron signed with the Lakers last July primarily for non-basketball reasons. The two most important factors apparently were 1.) to further his business interests by moving to LA, and 2.) because his family favored living full-time in Southern California.

It was stated here multiple times that James would be a poor fit with the Lakers, a team in the midst of a rebuild that had no established stars on its roster. Instead, they were led by young players, all of whom were still trying to find their footing. None of them had yet peaked, nor were they likely to this season.

The notion that James makes all his teammates better is absurd. The players who fare the best with him are spot shooters like Mike Miller, James Jones, Kyle Korver and even JR Smith. But teammates who play best with the ball in their own hands, like Chris Bosh, Kevin Love and even Dwyane Wade were all bigger stars with more impressive stats before they teamed with LBJ than they were with him.

And it was obvious that the young Lakers would need time to adjust to playing with someone who controls the ball as much as LeBron does.