The Upside of the Lakers

There were better teams LeBron James could have joined, ones that would have put him in a better position to win his next championship.

At the top was the Houston Rockets, who were a freak Chris Paul injury and an aberrational shooting curse away from stealing the series from Golden State Warriors and, in all likelihood, an NBA championship. James could have plugged into Mike D’Antoni’s percentage-driven offense immediately, transforming the recent void left by Trevor Ariza into an unprecedented competitive advantage. There were also the 76ers, who already have two burgeoning young superstars and the assets to trade for an established one, the most obvious target being Kawhi Leonard. A starting lineup of James, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, the under-appreciated Dario Saric, and a guy from the crowd called down to shoot a half-court shot to win a Kia Optima could easily take the Eastern Conference.

But LeBron James ended up choosing the Los Angeles Lakers, a befuddling team of misfit toys with square wheels and bad mixtapes. For James, the decision extended beyond the rotes parameters of winning basketball games: His family loves California, where he already owns two homes; his kids will now get to star in every Ball Is Life mixtape henceforth made; and according to Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins, who has the tick-tock of how LeBron-to-LA went down, Los Angeles is where James can begin laying his post-playing career groundwork for moguldum, not unlike his new boss and longtime friend, Lakers president Magic Johnson:

When James first came into the league, Johnson was one of the players most often invoked to describe LeBron’s game. It’s fitting, then, on some level, that Johnson is helping provide the blueprint for post-career success, too.

So what exactly is LeBron getting himself into? According to reports, James, who signed the longest contract (four years) of his career since rejoining the Cavaliers in 2014, chose the Lakers because he feels like they have the assets and management to surround him with a team that can compete longterm. As currently constructed, the Lakers are better than the ragtag Cavaliers bunch that LeBron dragged to the Finals last year. (The Lakers won 35 games last year. How many games would that Cavs squad sans LeBron win?) He’ll be without anyone as good as Kevin Love, but after five consecutive seasons of failing to reach the playoffs, the Lakers have, through the lottery, assembled a talented if opaque mix of good young players. Kyle Kuzma, at 6-foot-9 with a twitchy jumper and nascent shot creation abilities, is the most natural fit alongside James, and is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of James’ playmaking. Former No. 2 pic Brandon Ingram has unicorn limbs, and even at 98-pounds has already shown himself to be an elite finisher through traffic. Ingram is often compared to Kevin Durant but his offensive game is more similar to Kawhi’s more linear approach to basket-getting, and is rumored to be the centerpiece of a proposed Lakers trade with the Spurs.

Then there’s Lonzo Ball, who is a nerd in all the senses but grew up idolizing James (which is telling in a city that worships Kobe) and has in many ways patterned his pass-first approach to the game after him. There is some redundancy in what a player like Ball can offer now that the Lakers have LeBron—passing, rebounding from a perimeter position, playing off-ball as a lob threat. And though his shooting woes were somewhat overblown, Lonzo emerged as a surprising plus defender, thanks to shifty instincts and long arms. LeBron is, in many ways, the perfect player for Lonzo to continue to grow under. Two things to watch out for: (1) Look for the Lakers, with their sudden surplus of skilled passing, to run one of the fastest offenses in the league next season, with multiple lane-fillers streaking downcourt; and (2) it will be fascinating to see if—or how long—LeBron will tolerate all the ancillary orbital Big Ballerness that comes with a Zo. (Plus Lance Stephenson.) (Plus JaVale McGee, who I’m theorizing was signed not just for his Warriors intel but because his absence makes it more likely that Golden State signs locker room contagion Dwight Howard.) (GM LeBron, truly out here playing 4D chess.)

With LeBron, the Lakers are big yet versatile, and have all the tools to go far into the playoffs, but they’re still a tier below the Warriors and Rockets. (A fun matchup to watch for this season: Lakers vs. Thunder, with Paul George allegedly refusing to take a meeting with L.A. before deciding to re-sign with Oklahoma City.) James has indicated that the Lakers should not feel rushed to make a trade, which works to the front office's benefit. Rather than trading away all their assets Carmelo-to-NY-style for Leonard, who has expressly said he wants to play for the Lakers and will become a free agent next season, the Lakers could gamble and sign him without giving up any of their young core, at least if Paul George's OKC about-face doesn't prove to be a spooky new precedent.

Joining the Lakers could also help reframe some of the lingering legacy questions surrounding LeBron. If he isn’t already the greatest ever (I would argue he is), LeBron will finish either No. 1 or No. 2 all time. Los Angeles gives him the opportunity to win over any remaining “Kobe is the greatest ever” stans who may or may not be allergic to statistics and who might otherwise impede his GOAT status. Plus he gets to place himself in the context of names like Shaq, Wilt, Kareem, Kobe, West, Magic; that LeBron's name is now part of this mix is not lost on him. Consider the gamble he's making: LeBron feels his legacy is more or less secure as is. He is expected to lose to an all-time team in the Warriors, no matter where he plays. And yet every year he has a 20 to 30 percent chance of beating them, especially if he catches the Warriors during a down health year. Imagine what would happen if the stars were to align and James were able to beat a superior team while rescuing a storied franchise from the gloomy quagmire of mediocrity. That’s something Jordan’s never done. The King has little to lose here, and everything to gain.