The Los Angeles Lakers were perhaps the busiest team in the NBA this offseason, completely remaking their roster around Luka Doncic with a number of new players and many from last season’s team moving on to new squads. Of course the most significant of those moves was LeBron James, who informed the Lakers he wouldn’t be returning at the start of free agency, and eventually chose to join the Philadelphia 76ers.
James’ departure from the Lakers has led to a lot of discussion about the relationship between the two sides and whether each could have handled things better as some felt the Lakers perhaps didn’t appreciate the all-time great. But Lakers legend and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal simply feels this was a case of basketball business, via Owen Crisafulli of Heavy.com:
“No, it’s what we call the business of basketball,” O’Neal told Heavy on Lakers. “When you get older, and you’re still playing at a high level, you’re still trying to demand high money; sometimes as a franchise you have to say, ‘Do I want to pay this guy this much money for the next two years, or do I wanna go get younger?’ I knew when they brought in Luka Doncic, they were looking to start over.”
As O’Neal noted, the acquisition of Doncic changed everything for the Lakers and it’s hard to truly reset around the new superstar with the old one still there. Additionally, the salary cap structure and the fear of the second apron also plays a major role in every move that is made and its impact can be seen across the league with some of the trades that were made this offseason.
There is no denying what James meant to the Lakers as he brought this franchise from its lowest point in history and delivered a championship. He also made a ton of history and long-lasting memories in the purple and gold and his jersey will one day be in the rafters. In the end, it was just time for the two sides to part ways.
Byron Scott says LeBron James joining Sixers doesn’t guarantee a championship
The 76ers immediately became one of the favorites to win a championship once it was announced that James would be joining the team that had already added Jaylen Brown in a major trade. But former Lakers coach Byron Scott warned that having all that talent on one squad doesn’t guarantee a championship.
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