You know how you can tell the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 Luka Don\u010di\u0107 era has officially begun?<\/p>\n
Because LeBron James had one of his classic media moments, with his longtime agent, Rich Paul, explaining James\u2019 decision to pick up his $52.6 million player option <\/a>for next season in the kind of way that would have caused concern for his employer in years past, and it was met with the organizational equivalent of a shrug emoji. His leverage isn\u2019t what it once was these days, and that has everything to do with Don\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n \u201cLeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships,\u201d Paul told The Athletic and ESPN. \u201cWe understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what\u2019s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what\u2019s best for him. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we\u2019ve had for eight years with Jeanie (Buss) and Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.\u201d<\/p>\n Only time will tell if this will be remembered as an early goodbye letter, but the tone of the messaging was such that it\u2019s fair to wonder how the LeBron-Lakers partnership will go from here.<\/p>\n The speculation was rampant all around the league when news of James\u2019 decision broke, with rival executives wondering if this was a precursor to a trade request (James, remember, has a no-trade clause and could thus control any such move). Or, of course, it could be yet another attempt to apply pressure to the front office to find a way to add impactful talent. Either way, it\u2019s becoming increasingly clear that \u2014 even if James doesn\u2019t retire next summer \u2014 this could be his last season in a Lakers uniform.<\/p>\n While the Lakers most certainly care about how James\u2019 final chapter goes, and would love nothing more than to celebrate the 40-year-old\u2019s legendary career all season long before he headed off into the proverbial sunset, any plans that go beyond that point present roster-building problems when it comes to paving a path forward with the 26-year-old Don\u010di\u0107. That\u2019s the uncomfortable truth that was laid bare Sunday.<\/p>\n So long as they\u2019re able to secure Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s signature on an extension when he\u2019s eligible on Aug. 2, as is widely expected, then every move from there must be made with a long-term view in mind. As such, the notion of the Lakers committing to James at a max-salary level beyond this season was clearly seen internally as unwise.<\/p>\n Team sources say James and the Lakers did not discuss deals that would have added years to his Lakers tenure that began in 2018, either by way of extension or with him opting out and signing a new deal. Conversely, James and his camp signaled months ago<\/a> that there would be no discounts offered this time around (the Lakers, team sources say, didn\u2019t propose any sort of discounted deal out of respect for James).<\/p>\n If the Lakers have any hope of staying nimble in the crucial years to come, and potentially adding the next co-star to put alongside Don\u010di\u0107 after James is gone, then it behooves them to maintain as much flexibility as possible. The second-apron realities of today\u2019s NBA mean that elite talents could shake loose at any time, with owners who pushed for this virtual hard cap now facing its grave consequences.<\/p>\n There are already star-player situations brewing that teams like the Lakers are surely monitoring, chief among them Giannis Antetokounmpo and his uncertain future with the Milwaukee Bucks<\/a>. Just last week, Denver president and governor Josh Kroenke was highlighting the dangers that come with this salary-cap system and opined \u2014 unsolicited, mind you \u2014 about a nightmare scenario in which the Nuggets might one day be forced to trade three-time MVP Nikola Joki\u0107<\/a>. Any team that is stuck in second-apron hell when those sorts of opportunities arise is, for all intents and purposes, disqualified from participation. And then there\u2019s the Austin Reaves factor to consider in this Lakers calculus.<\/p>\n As our Dan Woike first reported Thursday<\/a>, the 27-year-old guard turned down the Lakers\u2019 four-year, $89.2 million extension offer last week (which was the max they could offer him) and is headed toward unrestricted free agency next summer. If the Lakers ultimately decide to try to keep Reaves a year from now, when he could be in line for a deal that\u2019s much larger than the one he turned down, they\u2019ll need those books to be as clean as possible. And even if they trade him for an impact big man this summer, as is certainly possible, then there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019d need that wiggle room to hold on to that player for the foreseeable future as well.<\/p>\n The Lakers\u2019 choice to prioritize basketball business beyond James isn\u2019t personal, but it is a matter of how they view the younger personnel. To that end, it would behoove them to either find a way to hold onto 32-year-old forward Dorian Finney-Smith (who opted out of his deal Sunday) or find a way to replenish what was lost if he heads elsewhere in free agency. When it comes to holding onto Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s confidence in the plan ahead, and getting off to a great start in this Mark Walter era that began with his $10 billion purchase of the storied franchise from the Buss family earlier this month<\/a>, those are the kinds of moves that matter most in the here and now.<\/p>\n Dorian Finney-Smith is opting out of the final year of his $15.4 million contract and will become an unrestricted free agent. Lakers and DFS could still work to find a deal, but as a Plan B option, LAL will have access to full mid-level exception if Finney-Smith signs elsewhere<\/p>\n\n