The past several years of NBA free agency have been nothing but unkind to the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only have they missed out on a slew of marquee talent, there was criticism of the approach and pitches the organization made in key free-agent meetings.
But this upcoming summer represents a renewed hope for the Lakers. They’re now led by the charismatic Magic Johnson, who’s the team’s president of basketball operations, and general manager Rob Pelinka, who forged an array of relationships with players and front office personnel during his time as an agent.
There’s been longstanding speculation the Lakers will be involved for free-agents-to-be LeBron James, Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins, among others.