Los Angeles Lakers: The most confusing moves of the offseason
By Jason Reed
![LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 23: Julius Randle (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 23: Julius Randle (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/efc38578a38dde75ff85c6483e5be03494a57fd0390362cff9e64fc2dc840d21.jpg)
The Los Angeles Lakers made the best possible move this offseason in signing superstar LeBron James. However, not every move made sense for LA.
The Los Angeles Lakers front office, led by general manager Rob Pelinka and President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson, fulfilled a promise over a year in the making and brought Los Angeles a superstar. Not only did the front office bring in a superstar, it brought in the league’s biggest star in LeBron James.
James signed a four-year, $154 million deal to join the Lakers’ young core and hopefully lead the team to a title within that four-year stretch. James had two better immediate title contending teams as options in the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets.
Instead, James decided to make the lifestyle decision of moving his family out to Los Angeles, where the family spent the summer and opted for the Lakers over the Clippers.
And while the Lakers may not be immediate title contenders, the team has a formula for success in the next several years. James is obviously a huge piece of that equation with a plethora of cap space next offseason making the Lakers a dangerous team.
If the team manages to free up Luol Deng for next summer, the Lakers will have enough salary cap space for a max superstar and then some.
While signing James did open all of these doors of promise, it did not make the Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason perfect. The team still made some questionable choices in the process of righting the ship. With that in mind, here are the three most confusing moves the Lakers made this offseason.