Last summer, LeBron James, without a pressing need to do so, signed a two-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers that prohibited him from being traded this season, and pushed off his free agency until at least 2024.
In a vacuum, this is a very healthy way for a franchise to operate with its superstar. It builds trust and relieves the pressures of seeking risky short-term decisions. It allowed the Lakers to enter trade discussions with other teams on a more level footing. And it killed speculation about James' future for many valuable months.
But the Lakers, especially right now, live in the opposite of a vacuum. Their season is saturated with extenuating circumstances, and it's weighing on them in the wake of Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving being traded Sunday, not to L.A., but to the Dallas Mavericks.
James, 38, is having an All-NBA-caliber season, naturally increasing the outside pressure to not "waste" one of his final years. The Russell Westbrook trade from 2021 was a failure, and there's a perceived need to "fix" the roster. The Western Conference is as erratic and uncertain as it has been in decades, leaving even a team sitting in 13th place in February, as the Lakers (25-29) are, honestly believing it isn't out of a postseason push.
So this is where James was Sunday when he sent one of his classic coded tweets -- though not that coded really -- after the Lakers finished as a runner-up in the Irving trade sweepstakes.
Maybe It's Me
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 6, 2023
James, who wrote "Maybe It's Me," was, of course, frustrated the Lakers didn't acquire Irving.
With so many attempts to control the narrative and all the gray areas between "offers" and "talks," it's difficult to piece together what was on the table for the Nets. This is what is known: The offer the Nets accepted from the Mavericks included two quality starters, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, in addition to draft picks.
The deadline hasn't passed (it's Thursday at 3 p.m. ET), and the Lakers still might end up finding another trade. The Lakers, sources said, did discuss the two first-round picks they have available to move, 2027 and 2029, in talks with the Nets, and that is an indication of their serious intent to make a deal.
But Irving was the one player known to be available who had a chance to impact the Lakers' chances at a deep playoff run.
And they didn't get him.
James, on many occasions this season, has tried to distance himself from any role in the Lakers' front-office moves. He did it again Saturday night in New Orleans after Irving's trade demand.
"I've told y'all [for] a couple weeks, I don't speak for our front office," James said.
This is a strategic move in the wake of the Westbrook trade, a disaster that had many factors, including James, whether he wants to admit it or not.
But again, it is a textbook way for a team to operate, a defined separation of powers. And again, the Lakers aren't in any way a textbook case.
As James languishes, hoping for some help, the Lakers' dysfunction over the past few years has caught up with them.
In this vein, the Lakers are routinely feeling a pull to be responsible in trade talks. General manager Rob Pelinka has said this on the record on several occasions since last fall: The Lakers must be judicious with the few trade assets they have.
There's a well-meaning desire to protect the draft picks and be cautious with including young players in offers as they try to avoid repainting themselves into a corner after they'd just done that with Westbrook.
For the Lakers to go all-in on a deal for Irving, there was a hope within the organization Irving would be willing to agree to a two-year, $78 million extension, sources said. This would have protected the team from Irving, regardless of what he might say now, wanting to leave this summer. That deal framework, which was the most Irving was allowed to sign for as part of a trade under league rules, was also team friendly, and much less than what Irving could command in July.
From 30,000 feet, this position is a rational one for a player who has asked for trades at least three times in his 12-year career and is known for radically changing his mind. In addition to the other risk factors Irving presents ... when the Lakers have James' commitment already secured.
Not going all-in for Irving makes sense on the whiteboard, and in the end, sources said, the Lakers didn't. The Nets moved on to make the deal with Dallas.
But James' exasperation with leaving a player who fits alongside him beautifully on a title contender makes sense, too. A case could be made that Irving and Anthony Davis are the two most ideal teammates James has played with, and failing to unite them was a massive missed opportunity.
Such is the reality the Lakers are living in.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, live in a different world. For Dallas, this trade for Irving doesn't represent an all-in move as much as a hedge. If Irving meshes well with Luka Doncic, and the Mavs' mix of ball handling and shot creation lifts the team back toward title contention, then this could be a transformational move.
If Irving isn't a fit or has injury or off-court issues, as has happened throughout his career, then the Mavericks are able to open a large amount of salary-cap space next summer. Even with owing a first-round pick to the New York Knicks this year and now their 2029 pick to Brooklyn, the Mavericks still have multiple first-round picks they can trade in the future. The Lakers do not have that luxury.
The ancillary benefit is it also sends a message to Doncic that the Mavericks are going for it now. Seeing Kristaps Porzingis play better with the Washington Wizards than he did in Dallas and Jalen Brunson develop into a front-line star in New York this season wasn't a good look.
Now the franchise is energized, and Doncic gets to try out playing alongside the most talented teammate he has had in Dallas.
James, meanwhile, waits as he enters a week that will give the Lakers another historic moment as he becomes the league's all-time leading scorer. It's just another way this entire scenario for the Lakers is unique and ripe for awkwardness.
It's going to be a long four days.