Superstar NBA players wield a lot of power.
LeBron has controlled organizations for two decades now, so this isn’t anything new. It is hard to criticize players when they are dealing with billionaire owners. It is best to take control at times, but the flip side is that you will have to take the brunt of the blame if your moves don’t work out.
Kevin Durant would likely have won many more championships if he decided to stay with the Warriors, but he wanted to Drive The Bus, so to speak, with the Nets, and the results have been less than ideal.
LeBron was able to deliver one championship to the Lakers, so the fans shouldn’t complain that much, but his efforts to get his friend a ring (Carmelo) and recreate a Big 3 with Westbrook and AD failed miserably.
According to Bleacher Report, the Lakers front office is upset about one man having all that power.
The Los Angeles Lakers went from winning the title in 2019-20 to not even qualifying for the play-in two seasons later.
It’s messy, but clearly, the stars have significant say in L.A. and Brooklyn. Based on recent results, their influence may have steered their respective franchises astray.
Upon the urging of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the franchise traded its championship depth for Russell Westbrook, yet the three stars still ended up with an extended vacation After the season concluded, Davis said he would meet with James to “reevaluate in the offseason. Upstairs, me and him, talking about the season and what we’d like to see next season.”
Ideally, their suggestions to the Lakers’ front office will be better than acquiring Westbrook.
But James certainly has a strong influence on the Lakers’ decision-making. Multiple sources indicate the team’s front office is internally blaming pressure from Klutch Sports Group (representing both James and Davis) for Westbrook.
It is possible that LeBron, who, when healthy, is still one of the best players in the game, could leave the Lakers high and dry sooner than later, so they better start making their own decisions.
Flip the pages for more about where Westbrook might end up.