For most of last season, there was a sense that LeBron James was surrounded by a team of players that weren’t really his guys. Although Magic Johnson said he went over players with LeBron James, the picture general manager Rob Pelinka painted of the 2019-20 team-building process of the Los Angeles Lakers was one of constant collaboration.
According to their GM and their newest star Anthony Davis, this is a group the stars had a lot of influence in picking.
Lots of phone calls, usually a lot of 3-way phone calls between him, myself and Anthony. 3-way text messages, incredibly focused and open-minded. The approach is never you need to go do this. The approach is always, what do you think about this. That was representative of the process in getting Dwight Howard. It was important that not only from a Front Office perspective but from a playing perspective that everyone was aligned. When he came to us and let us know he wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself.
While LeBron himself turned down opportunities to take ownership for the team’s roster construction, Davis was more than willing to discuss his input on the process.
The Lakers, like most NBA teams, will have issues to confront during the preseason and the 82-game grind. But the notion that this team wasn’t built with a clear vision or input from their star players isn’t something in the narrative bucket for this year’s version of the Lakers.
