LeBron James is a Sixer, and the Lakers are left finishing a roster built for Luka Doncic.
The wait ended Friday when James announced he was signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal, closing out eight seasons with the Lakers and pushing the offseason in a direction Los Angeles had been bracing for since June.
James told the team on June 30 that he planned to play elsewhere for his 24th season, so the news was not a surprise, though it becoming official Sunday still landed strangely for a franchise that spent a decade building around him.
Los Angeles went 53-29 last season, beat Houston in six and then got swept by Oklahoma City with Doncic sidelined by a hamstring strain, while Philadelphia finished 45-37 and fell to the Knicks in the East semifinals.
Where the Roster Stands Now
Rob Pelinka moved fast once that message came in, landing Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with Utah before adding Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Jaden Hardy, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle to a reshaped depth chart.
Doncic, Austin Reaves and Kessler are the only starters anyone feels sure about, the second forward spot is an open competition between Jarred Vanderbilt and Ziaire Williams, and the roster sits at 16 players, one over the limit.
With Doncic coming off a season where he led the league at 33.5 points per game, the ask for everyone else is not complicated, since this group needs shooting, defense and players who finish plays instead of creating them.
The Kuminga Chase Is Still Stuck
That brings up Jonathan Kuminga, who Los Angeles has kept calling about for weeks while pitching him on starting minutes on the wing next to Doncic.
The math has not worked, since Kuminga is reportedly seeking $20 million a year or more while the Lakers can offer roughly $9 million through the room exception, and a sign-and-trade would require a three-year deal plus a package Atlanta wants.
Cleveland jumped in hard after missing on James, which hands Kuminga leverage that Los Angeles cannot answer with money, and the fallback names being floated include PJ Washington and Cameron Johnson.
Why James Fit This Version of the Team
The odd part is that James might have been the cleanest solution to the hole the Lakers are scrambling to fill.
He put up 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 60 games last season at the lowest usage rate of his career, and for the first time ever more than half of his baskets came off an assist, meaning he had already become the play finisher Los Angeles is now shopping for.
A forward who defends bigger wings, runs the offense when Doncic rests and lives off the ball the rest of the time is the description Pelinka keeps reading out loud, age and price tag aside.
Los Angeles chose fit over familiarity this summer, a defensible call with Doncic at 27 and Reaves signed long term, though the front office still has to land a starting forward before camp.
Fail at that, and the Lakers begin the season with an obvious hole in the spot where James used to stand.
