Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[SleepingHero]

Assuming Luka (which I do not), there is max money for new guy or for LeBron, but not both. It's about a max and a half. 

I don't think LBJ would be willing to be the guy getting the half max, and being the 3rd highest paid player. If he plays, in his mind he's the guy, and he gets paid like it. 

I don't think LA says no to LBJ wishes.

If LBJ retires, the door opens. That's their solution, but I think they intend to give him the full Kobe (max money as long you'll be in uni for us) until he's ready to quit. LA understands what Nico does not -- when a player sells a massive number of tix, you milk that until he drops.

I mean as much as I want Luka to (language) the Lakers over in the highest possible fashion, there is historical evidence that Lebron is open and willing to take a paycut to create a superteam. In his prime, he took roughly a 13% paycut to get Bosh+Wade.

On a smaller scale with the Lakers, he took roughly the amount off his contract so they could give his son that money (I suppose you can argue this wasn't a paycut but more a donation, so back to the original point).

You're telling me you are 100% absolutely sure that Lebron won't be open to take a big discount in his final years to get a mega-in-his-prime superstar to pair with his other mega-in-his-prime superstar so they can form a mega superteam? If this was prime Lebron I'd agree, but we'd be talking about 42 year old Lebron. Who's to even say he'd be good enough to command "highest paid" status? I know that might be a stupid thing to say but I mean 42 is still 42 in the NBA. 

I'd deem it even likely that Lebron will take a paycut to whatever number is needed to get another superstar. But if I am the Lakers, why would I want to tie up my entire cap space into 3 guys and a bunch of minimums? I don't even think that'd be a great team given you also need depth in the NBA. God forbid Luka gets injured or Lebron is out a signficant time and you're stuck playing Bol Bol 30 minutes a game.

So yeah, I think the Lakers are going to have zero problems getting another star. The real question is, do they even want that?