LeBron James shared his thoughts on the LA Lakers missing out on big-name free agents this summer.

With DeMar DeRozan inking a deal with the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers have lost most of the marquee stars they were linked to since the start of the free agency.

It started with Jonas Valenciunas heading to Washington, followed by Klay Thompson picking the Dallas Mavericks over LA. DeRozan headed West, but not to suit up with the Purple and Gold.

Speaking to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James weighed in on the quiet free agency for the Lakers, adding there was no point in lamenting the misses. He backed the front office saying they did their best to land the right talent, but it was “part of the business” that deals don’t go through. The 4x NBA champion also name-dropped all of the names linked to the Lakers.

“So we don’t sit here and lie about or cry about it. We move on and Klay’s a great player. Obviously DeMar’s a great player. Valanciunas was one of those guys who ended up going to Washington, was someone that was in talks with us, but we move on to see how we continue to get better,” James said.
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At the time of writing, LeBron James and his Lakers teammate Anthony Davis are busy prepping for the Paris Olympics. The focus for James is to land a third gold at the marquee event. This will be his fourth year representing Team USA at the Olympics.

“It’s all about committing”: LeBron James explains his $2.6 million pay cut to help Lakers avoid second apron
The same interview also focused on LeBron James taking a $2.6 million pay cut to help the Lakers avoid the second apron and the regulations that it brings.

This comes on the back of reports that said the veteran forward would take less money to help LA land a bonafide third star to bolster their chances of winning a championship. Speaking on the pay cut, he said:

“Because we are in a relationship and anybody knows relationships, [knows that] it’s all about committing. It’s also about doing things to help both sides. So, we’ve been in a working relationship going on seven years … so that’s what it’s about.”
LeBron James and the Lakers have now moved toward signing names that signal utility over firepower in Gary Trent Jr. and Spencer Dinwiddie.

The former averaged 13.7 points per game for the Toronto Raptors last season and hit 39% of his 3-pointers on high volume, attempting 6.4 of them per game. Dinwiddie spent the second half of last season with the Lakers after he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.