Lakers Must Honor LeBron’s Pay Cut on Contract with Major Roster Move Amid NBA Rumors

LeBron James is committed to winning in Los Angeles, as evidenced by a new contract worth $2.7 million less than the $104 million max he is more than deserving of.

James signed the contract, according to Dave McMenamin and Bobby Marks of ESPN, to leave the team with enough space to avoid any salary cap restrictions that would adversely affect the organization’s ability to build the team moving forward.

The biggest star in the sport took a pay cut out of loyalty to the Lakers and with the understanding that the team needs one more piece to be competitive in a Western Conference that is stacked with both proven champions as well as hungry, young squads looking to establish themselves as title contenders.

Thus far, the Lakers have not come through on their end, missing out most recently on DeMar DeRozan, who is headed to Sacramento as part of a sign-and-trade deal between the Kings and Chicago Bulls.

They also missed out on Dejounte Murray, who the Atlanta Hawks traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for a package that included two first-round picks.

The team has been linked to Jerami Grant from Portland on more than one occasion this offseason, but the front office has as of yet been able to finalize a deal. The 30-year-old forward is represented by Klutch Sports Group, which conveniently represents James and Anthony Davis, and had another strong season for the Trailblazers.

Grant averaged 33.9 minutes, 21 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals per game last season while shooting 45.1 percent from the paint and 40.2 percent from beyond the arc.

His ability to defend makes him intriguing to the Lakers, whose most consistently great defender at this point is James.

The question would be whether he is enough to make the run Los Angeles hopes that it can. Is he the difference-maker, the one player who can elevate the team to championship status and bring James his fifth chip?

Maybe, but not definitely.

Lauri Markkanen is another name to keep an eye on as the Utah Jazz may not want to trade him but with one year left on his current deal, are willing to listen to blow-away offers.

Whether the Lakers end up getting the deal done for Grant, strike gold with Markkanen, or even come to an agreement with the New Orleans Pelicans on a deal for Brandon Ingram, the team must reward James’ willingness to take less money in the name of improving the team and chasing a title in what are likely the last few years of his Hall of Fame career.

“We’ve seen contending teams or championship-level teams have to lose players. That’s a result of the apron world we’re living in. So, does it make trades more challenging? Yes. Does it make good trades impossible? No. So we’ll continue to pursue upgrades to our roster,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said.

The ball is now in Pelinka’s court, pun intended.

Any failure to secure a top star in free agency or by trade is not on his most prominent player. It will, instead, be strictly on him and his front office for not maximizing the team’s roster when the biggest star in the game took less money in the name of making that happen.