Trade & FA 2024-25:

[KillerLeft]

Thinking about the Lakers. (And I try very hard not to) But what is their path forward? They are pretty thin on assets with an aging LBJ and an injury-prone AD who is now on the wrong side of 30. Performance-wise, the team is either just out or just in the playoff/play-in ranks, which is mediocrity hell. Plus, given their swagger over the years, I suspect no other teams are really wishing to help them out.

So what? Ride LBJ ticket sales until he retires, then hope they can use his cap space to lure another star just because "It's LA, baby!"?

What they've been SAYING for over a year now is that they want to run their team "the right way," as in maximizing draft swings, developing young talent, etc, in an effort to be a more stable, sensible franchise. Whether they actually possess the expertise to carry that plan out successfully is another matter, entirely, but that messaging has been pretty consistent. The confusion on our end comes from the countless examples of counter-messaging coming from LeBron's camp.