Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[omahen]

That was my initial feeling as well. Since then, absorbing everything out there (much of which is probably BS, admittedly) I have come to believe that it's possible they didn't offer it to him. Stein said something along those lines on today's DLLS podcast, and that's not the first time it occurred to me, but it did confirm it as a possibility (to me, at least).

Personally, I am convinced they didn't offer it. They can't build a contender around Luka if they are being held hostage with max money declining LeBron with his no trade clause. 

Those who watched Lakers games, and I obviously watched every one of them since the trade, could see that LeBron doesn't have a max level impact anymore. He is phenomenal for a 40 year old. But, his impact is not at a max level player anymore. Just looking at a small sample Minny playoff series. Lakers defense with LeBron was actually worse than with Luka, although Luka was taking all the heat. Lakers defense without LeBron was phenomenal. Lakers offense without Luka completely fell of a cliff in the series. Regular season doesn't paint a much different picture. Same story in the regular season post all star break (after the trade). Luka a big positive on the court, Lakers playing better without LeBron. 

Admittedly, a lot of this probably goes to the awkward LeBron-Luka-Reaves trio. My guess would be, that two of them at same time surrounded with three defenders work. Three of them doesn't. But, the logical odd man out in this trio is not Reaves, it is LeBron. LeBron would be gone in a couple of years at most (now everything points this is his last Lakers season). Lakers can hope to replace one star. They can't replace both LeBron and Reaves, if Reaves is traded for a couple of role players.