Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Bradley Beal PICKS CLIPPERS OVER THE LAKERS. Plus, What does LeBron Really Want?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone, welcome to Lockdown Lakers for Thursday. Brian Kemenetsky, Andy Kemenetsky, Bradley Beale, is on his way to the Clippers. No big surprise there, but does it open up the rest of free agency? That is next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Lockton Lakers first listen of every day Monday through Friday.

Starting point is 00:00:37 no matter how, where you get your podcast, this one is always free and it's never going to be behind a paywall. Of course, locked on Lakers on YouTube. He's where you can go hang out with over 35,000 subscribers to the channel, Andy, all of whom are talking to each other. They're talking to us. They're leaving questions. They're leaving comments. And they are wondering what is going to come now that Bradley Beale has officially been, you know, the buyout is coming. And he's going to pass through waivers and he's going to sign a two-year deal with the lawsuit.

Starting point is 00:01:07 Angeles clippers. He can keep tracking, Andy, of the money that he's getting from the clippers with Monarch Money. Monarch Money is sponsoring today's episode. You can take control of your finances with Monarch Money. And Bradley Beal, like everyone else, can use the code locked on NBA at Monarchmoney.com for 50% off his first year. Well, he did just take a buyout. He took a little bit of a haircut so he can make it back by getting this sweet deal with Monarch money. This is how smart money people get whole. Right. Look, I mean, to some degree, I guess, like I've seen a few people online, like framing this decision from Bradley Beale's like Bradley Beal chooses the Laker, the Clippers over the Lakers.

Starting point is 00:01:53 Lakers Mastique is dead. Long live Lakers Mastique, I guess. But like this, it's an interesting thing. I don't even know how much people really buy into this idea that free agents, still, or quite frankly, in the last 25 years have really ever, signed with the Lakers, like the lure of the Lakers, taking less money, choosing the Lakers because it's the Lakers as opposed to, you know, it's L.A. It's, you know, it's a good situation. I can start. I can do whatever. Like the normal reasons people choose to pick a city in their free agency or demand

Starting point is 00:02:35 to trade. It was an interesting, it was just interesting to me to see people kind of try to to pounce on that as if Bradley Beale might not have had a better reason to go to the Clippers than the Lakers. Well, to begin, he had a better reason to go to the Clippers in the sense that he had a starting role lined up tailor made for him because after the Clippers traded Norm Powell as part of that three-way deal to Miami bringing them John Collins, they have a starting two guys. two-guards spot available and a need to put Bradley Beal in there, which whatever you want to make of Lakers, Mastique, how much it matters, doesn't matter whatever for what it's worth. What really matters is that the front office doesn't believe that that's all it takes to get guys

Starting point is 00:03:21 to show up. Like what we in the media or fans out there think of Lakers Misteakers, Lakers Exceptionalternalsam doesn't really matter even close to as much as what they think in the building. but Bradley Beal, by all reports, wants to keep starting, as most players do, by the way. And he was reportedly very unhappy with the way Phoenix moved him to the bench very transparently as a way of trying to get him to become miserable enough to lift his no trade clause and be more cooperative,

Starting point is 00:03:59 essentially trying to get him to quit his, to like essentially quit the sons. but he wanted to start and the clippers offer them that. The Lakers and Clippers are more or less on the same tier in terms of where they reside in the Western Conference. You can make an argument for either one of them potentially being better than the others. I would personally bet on the Lakers ahead of the Clippers just in the sense that I believe in them staying healthier than the Clippers. I think the Clippers have a better roster than the Lakers. I think they also, the clippers just have more injury questions than the Lakers do. They have that every year.

Starting point is 00:04:40 Sure, but the point being, they, Bradley Beale, the situation in a lot of ways was pretty comparable. Lakers versus Clippers. The money was not going to be big. I think the Clippers could offer him a little more money than Lakers could. But in the grand scheme of what Bradley Beale's already made and the type of money we're talking about, It wasn't that huge. I think the big thing was he was able to start definitively for the Clippers. And the Lakers, at the very least, were not in a position to automatically offer him that,

Starting point is 00:05:14 whether because you think Austin Reeves should be the starting two guard for the Lakers moving forward because you think he's better than Beale, because of the politics of trying to re-sign him as he heads into a walk year, because you feel like you can't start both because if you had concerns about a, If you had concerns about a Luca, LeBron, Austin, Rui, Aiton lineup defensively, wait until you see Luca, LeBron, Austin, Beal, Ait. Like, Rui is prime Kevin Garnett defensively compared to Bradley Beal. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but... No, actually, I would.

Starting point is 00:05:54 I actually, Bradley Beal is a... If nothing else, you can count on Rui trying more defensively, then you can count on Beal trying. Bill, back in, you know, the day when Beal was playing more significant basketball when Washington didn't completely suck,

Starting point is 00:06:11 he wasn't terrible, but like it's been a minute since, it's been a bit, I mean, one of the things, one of the arguments. You're right. He had a great stretch in 2015

Starting point is 00:06:19 where he was lights out defensive. Right. I mean, the point being that like, in theory, like that is buried in there somewhere. It's been a minute since Beal played meaningful basketball

Starting point is 00:06:30 period, which I think people have seen, I've seen people questioning how good of assigning this is for the Clippers because of that. Like, oh, it's, you know, there's more to winning basketball than, then, like, at $5 million a year, five plus or whatever it is, five and a half, like, there's just no way to, you know, spin this if you wanted to, like to be negative for the Clippers. Because he will play winning enough basketball. he'll play $5 million worth of winning basketball for sure on that team. And assuming he's healthy.

Starting point is 00:07:07 And so I look at that. I agree with you. It's a better situation. It makes more sense for him. The Lakers, like you say. It makes more sense for what he wants. Like if he was okay with being a sixth man in a key role on the Lakers, the Lakers could have made sense for him.

Starting point is 00:07:25 It would have been a good signing for the Lakers. But it would have been a lot of money wanted. Beal made a lot of sense. Beale made a lot of sense for the Lakers. There's no, that's not what I'm saying. Like, they had a role for him where they needed him. They would have been a great fill for the Lakers. But if Beal doesn't want to do it, you don't want to do it.

Starting point is 00:07:40 There's no, there's no, what you can't make a guy sign with your team, as Rob Polinka likes to say. You need partners. And so. Beal's not a house for sale is what you're saying. He is not a house for sale. He was briefly for sale, but he never really hit the market, Andy. I just, I, again, the partner. that I think is just, you know, is not to cape up for the Lakers, but it is this notion of like

Starting point is 00:08:05 the Lakers being rejected by prime free agents who would have had to in this case reject a starting position and reject Andy a little bit more of the money to make up for the 14 million he's giving back for being released in the first place. He's now going to be about three million, I want to say three or four million dollars short, so please pass a half from Radley Beale. But I think it's one of these things that gets dredged up so that people can pile on the Lakers when things aren't going well, which isn't necessary.

Starting point is 00:08:42 There are so many other reasons to pile on the Lakers. You don't have to invent them. Like this notion of the Lakers, in the time really even that we've covered them, which is getting up about 20 years at this point. It's never been a thing that the Lakers have had this draw, this hypnotic draw on players and free agents and stuff where people kind of just sacrifice what is seen as their own well-being.

Starting point is 00:09:14 I can think of one example in the time that we've covered the Lakers, that you can maybe say that was the case. and it's when they signed Ron our test because Ron, first of all, was geeked as bleep to play with the Lakers, to play with Kobe. It was actually kind of adorable how openly he just worshipped Kobe as his teammate. It was actually pretty funny and endeared to see.

Starting point is 00:09:44 And I remember I did a profile of Ron for, then Ron, now meta, for ESPN.com back in the day when we used to write for them. And he told me a story about how he had been planning that same offseason to resign with the Rockets for what he said would be a pretty big bag. And then Yao Ming ended up getting hurt and that changed their plans. And the Rockets ultimately wanted to go in a different direction. And then he ended up signing for the Lakers with less money if nothing else than he said he was going to get from Houston.

Starting point is 00:10:18 how much more he could have gotten on the open market. I can't say for sure this was going on, you know, 15, 16 years ago. But he's the one guy that I can think of that as a free agent seemed very much into the idea of hell yeah, join him with the legroom. I want to play with Kobe, you know, the legend with him, you know, walking up on him in the shower.

Starting point is 00:10:43 But even then, Andy, like you say, it is, was predicated on the idea that the bag was taken away. sure in Houston. So for the Lakers, you know, he framed it as a bit of a pay cut for what it's worth. For the Lakers though and the rest of the league, I mean, Beale chose other, Lakers weren't like the only other team that were interested in Beal.

Starting point is 00:11:03 The real effect could become what happens in the rest of free agency. So we'll ask that question next. Plus the question of what LeBron really wants. We'll do all of it next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Open Phone. And when is the last time when you're running a business that you had a service emergency and the first person or company that you called, they didn't answer and you just waited around for them to get back to you? You didn't.

Starting point is 00:11:39 You called someone else. So you know in business, every missed call is money left on the table. And that's why Open Phone is the number one business phone system designed to streamline and scale your customer communications all through an app on your phone. or your computer. And I love that open phone doesn't require two phones. With Open Phone, you can manage your business calls and text from one app, whether you're at your desk or on the go and that there's a shared inbox so your team can jump into any conversation without missing a beat. Their AI agent handles after hours calls, answers common questions, captures leads, so you never miss a customer. And Open Phone is offering our listeners 20% off the first six

Starting point is 00:12:17 months at openphone.com slash locked on MBA. That's O-P-E-H-O-N-E dot com slash locked-on-M-D-A. And if you're switching from another service, open phone will even port your existing numbers over at no extra charge. Open phone, no missed calls, no missed. All right. So for the Lakers, I guess the, you know, you're hoping maybe Beal signs for a little bit less, whatever might be. but what this really ought to do or could do or might do is shake loose the rest of these players that have been kind of waiting around because a lot of teams were interested in Bradley Beal at the basic rate that the clippers ended up getting him and have whatever space they've had they've held off using it because you know he was they needed to wait until that was done so now it is and guys like Melton or Amir Coffee or Al Horford or whoever it might be,

Starting point is 00:13:22 I think teams might push in a little bit more if they are so inclined to fill in some of these places. You may see now players, you know, kind of, okay, I'm going to make my choice now because I'm going to take this amount of money from Team X, Y, or Z while it's still there. Nobody wants to be the last guy standing heading into training camp. So, I mean, it does seem at least possible that the almost standstill in free agent signings might pick up a little bit over the next week or two. If nothing else, I think it depends on the position. I think guards in particular, now that Bradley Beale, who was the biggest guard expected to be an unrestricted free agent is with a team, guys like a DeAnthony Melton or an Amir coffee or Josh Kogi, like guys like that may.

Starting point is 00:14:16 find themselves starting to make choices. I think someone like Al Horford, I don't know how much it can be affected if you're a different position. I don't know how much you're necessarily waiting on the restricted free agency of Jonathan Kaminga or Josh Giddy or some of these other things to get sorted out because that can also affect what is. Side note. What a terrible year to be a restricted free agent.

Starting point is 00:14:38 Side note to the side note. The warriors, remember the front office that prop themselves up is light years ahead of everybody. two timelines were geniuses. You all wish you could be us. Good Lord, did they bleep that Jonathan Kaminga situation for like three or four straight years. They screwed that thing up so badly. It does seem like it.

Starting point is 00:15:05 It looks like he's going to end up back in Golden State with the promise of being traded at some point. That's what we're doing now. You know how much they could have gotten for him like a few years ago? A lot. And the worst part on top of it too, like it's very clear that he could be helpful in some ways, but because he does not fit exactly what they do, they will not tailor a damn thing for him.

Starting point is 00:15:33 It's like they want to win this thing on principle as opposed to just guys. It's just, it's too hard. And it's, you know, every year. Look, there's a lesson in here for the Lakers, I think, when you think about Dalton Connect. I mean, it's not the same. Cominga has obviously been in the league longer. He drafted higher, you know, flash more potential.

Starting point is 00:15:55 Better athlete. We have better athlete, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and so on and so on. But it's, you know, when you pull the trigger on a guy like this is critical. Like, yes, everybody, you know, you start to be like, I should make a move, but you have in the back of your, like, there's a reason I drafted this guy. We see the potential. and what you really never want to see happen is a guy who you drafted couldn't make work in your system, go somewhere else and thrive. Like that tends to be something that really embarrasses front offices.

Starting point is 00:16:32 And so you kind of get right up to the line of being like, let's, you know what, we got to move on, cut bait, stop throwing good money after bed, whatever expression you want to use. and then you wait too long. And now you are resigning a guy with the idea that you might trade him, which just lends instability and makes your guy super, super disgruntled. With cause. Like, I don't even know Jonathan Kamenga, but like at this point, I don't think he's at least partially responsible for the situation he's in,

Starting point is 00:17:04 but like I'd be annoyed too. Right. Like, it's you don't want to commit to me, but you don't want to let me go either because you consider my, value to be almost again, like a thing of principle as opposed to a basketball player. Correct. It's interesting. We got a couple of email.

Starting point is 00:17:25 The show we did for Wednesday was all about sort of free agency and who's around. And would Josh Kogi be a good signing when he clears waivers? I'm pretty sure he has to do that. But when he becomes officially available from Charlotte, they're letting him go. would he be a good person to sign? A lot of a few people in the comments section for Wednesday's show on the YouTube page did ask about Darius Basley, which I thought was interesting because, you know, we talked about, you know, my big problem with Kogi as opposed to say Melton is just the Lakers have too many one way guys. I would I have no problem with either one of those guys filling the roster spot, but I prefer Melton. He's got a little bit more of an offense.

Starting point is 00:18:13 of game. I have concerns about him recovering from an ACL, but he's never healthy. And he's the less, I think of the two, probably a little bit lesser defender, just a little bit more balanced as a player. Yes. I, I, the same question can be asked about Basley, not just in terms of skill set, but also what position, if you're only going to fill in one more spot on the roster, what position are you going to try to fill? Do you, you can make an argument. the Lakers need a guard, you can make an argument that they could use

Starting point is 00:18:47 an athletic forward. So I don't know, pick one. Well, it's funny. They need an athletic forward, but they also have a lot of forwards on this team getting a pretty big chunk of minutes as currently constructed. Like, LeBron's going to get a lot of minutes.

Starting point is 00:19:02 Rue is going to get a lot of minutes. DeAndre Aiton's in the front court. He's going to get a lot of minutes. Luca, in certain ways, functions as much as a forward as he does a guard. So I think in some ways, like, whether or not you would need Darius Baisley or want Darius Baisley could be dependent on who is still on the roster when training camp opens. But look, the best thing Baisley can do is peak interest in him after having his struggles staying in the league the last couple of seasons.

Starting point is 00:19:33 This summer league, I think, has absolutely piqued interest in him. Kind of reminded some teams, yeah, you know, this guy a few years ago looked like he could be, if nothing else, a useful NBA player. I think obviously to some degree just it's a combination of who's the best player available. Obviously, talent matters if you can sign a much better player even if it's not totally the position of need, but you can really upgrade your roster. I think you kind of just do it and figure out some of those things later if there really is that big of a difference in the players that you're signing. And then it just gets down to skill set. Like which skill set do you think you can most adequately fill?

Starting point is 00:20:20 And then the third question is which guys do you think is actually going to play? And you're right. Because if you have too many guys in front of Basley that he does potentially fill the need, he's much more athletic than a lot of the guys, very bouncy. And you would think would be playing extra hard. given that he would have clawed his way back into the league, you could argue that a guy in the backcourt's going to get more time, that there may be a few more minutes available for a DeAnthony Melton or something like that.

Starting point is 00:20:53 So they really need to shrink Basley into small forward size. That's actually what they really. I think they need more just straight up classic wings guys between like put him in the dryer. Yeah, like yeah, put him in the dryer. on the highest setting possible. Like that, because when you're asking before, like, what do they really need? And you said, you know, they could use some athletic forwards that, you know, they could use a more proven backup center. I guess unless you really believe in a couple months of Jackson Hayes or what Maxi Kleeba could be rebound, you know, like in a rebound season, they could use a point of attack defender.

Starting point is 00:21:33 They still, and this team has struggled to consistently fine. I know they're so coveted. they can be more difficult to attain, like a true wing, like a true Trevor oriza type player. They've really, other than old Trevor that had a few years ago. Like they could use a player like that. We had a conversation about LeBron James earlier in this week, and we're not done with it. It's really interesting as we sort of stepped away from that and the news calm down around LeBron to kind of really think about what is happening here with a guy going into his 22nd season, right?

Starting point is 00:22:14 Age 41 or 22nd and 23rd? That's pretty good. You know, into his age 41 season. What exactly is it that he wants? We'll ask that question next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Monarch Money. And you've ever wished that managing your money felt easier with Monarch money, it can be. Whether you're growing your savings or planning a big purchase,

Starting point is 00:22:41 Monarch puts you in the driver's seat. It's like having your own personal CFO, giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch money is more than just a budgeting app. It's a complete financial command center. You can track all of your accounts, your investments, you're spending all in one place. So in addition to managing your money, you're also building wealth. As an example, my daughter is about to start high school, which means I now need to be thinking about college, tuition, dorm expenses.

Starting point is 00:23:07 And that can be really daunting. And Monarch can help me streamline my spending, figure out areas where I can be more efficient, where I can save better, and really just create a plan for this next step. And you also, you can take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use the code locked on MBA and monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. That's monarchmoney.com, quote locked on MBA for half off your first year. I have often, Andy, talked about how I find old Kobe to be, not like, end of the line, old Kobe, but like, you know, when we all thought like he was second wave Kobe, like when he's getting into his 30s, he's still really good and all these. Like, I've always found that guy to be in some ways more interesting than young Kobe. You can argue a little bit of that with LeBron, like the situation that he is in right now, independent.

Starting point is 00:24:08 of whether you love LeBron, hate LeBron, want him gone, don't want him gone or whatever, it is quite literally unprecedented in NBA history. And to be here witnessing it and trying to figure out, it's like, these are people, they're athletes, they have egos, they have wants, they want to play basketball, they want their money. Like there's so many things at play in a way that has never happened

Starting point is 00:24:34 in NBA history. It's kind of fascinating to be here to watch it. Yeah. That's really interesting. And there, like you said, a lot of this is starting to settle down a little bit. There was a recent report from Dan Wojke, who now covers the Lakers for the athletic, front of the show, great coverage. But that the expectations now, I'm paraphrasing a little bit from the piece, but the expectations now are that LeBron is going to open camp with the Lakers. thus far there has been no request from LeBron or clutch for a trade or a buyout,

Starting point is 00:25:13 that everything is essentially status quo if you just looked at this from 5,000 foot above without seeing any of the details. It's the details, though, in a lot of the context that let you know that there is some tension going on right now. and I think a degree of discomfort and discontent, certainly on LeBron's side at the very least. I, yeah,

Starting point is 00:25:44 I mean, look, I think ultimately what happens is he plays out this season. I actually don't think there's a 0% chance that he comes back next season. This might be his best situation for the rest of his career, whether he is thrilled about it or not. And, you know, the Lakers might make do more like that. We're not done with this off season.

Starting point is 00:26:08 There are still stuff that could happen in this off season. And we're not closing the book or grading what the Lakers have done until the offseason is over. But the, he's not going anywhere before that. Because there is no. There's just nowhere from to go. And what I think is to me, at least, what's fascinating. But it's like this question of like what does he want and I look they're they all have ego like I'm not going to sit here and pretend that LeBron James doesn't have an ego.

Starting point is 00:26:38 Um, but I think what more than anything what I think he really wants isn't you know, just like attention or the drama or all this. I think more than anything what he's sort of scared of in his year 23 season at age 41 maybe playing one. more season, maybe two, is just being irrelevant. Like is playing in a, in a situation where his only relevance is, wow, look how cool that old guy is doing things, the cool stuff the old guy is doing. Or let's clap for LeBron when he comes into our building for the last time. I think that kind of sideshow irrelevance is really the thing that he's trying to avoid most of all.

Starting point is 00:27:30 Irrelevance isn't the word that I would use just because LeBron, by definition, is pretty much always relevant. But irrelevant in the context of being at least plausibly relevant to the playoffs, plausibly relevant to win a title, that kind of thing. Sure. But I mean, at the same time, he's not playing on a trash team right now. He's playing on a team that won 50 games last year, despite a few different roster incarnations. You're going to have a full season with Luca Donchich, who appears to be in the

Starting point is 00:28:03 best shape of his life. They have an actual center in DeAndre Aiton, who's legit starting caliber. Like, this team is better right now than it was where it left off after game five against the wolves. Despite the perception that they've not really gotten better because other teams have been busier. Right. They may not be championship front runners, and we both agree they're not, but they're not bad either. And LeBron's path towards being on one of those teams is exceptionally limited, in part because of the contract that he opted into, which he wanted to have.

Starting point is 00:28:41 And that's fine. Like, you know, these things are complicated. And you prioritize different things, different ways for different reasons. And I don't think any less of LeBron for clearly one of the things he prioritized was, I want to get my full contract that I negotiated. Like I don't fault him for that. But like what I was saying before, I don't think irrelevancy is the right word just because he is playing it too high

Starting point is 00:29:07 of a level. He's too big of a deal. And his team is currently too good to be irrelevant. But I think it's relevancy as defined by LeBron for his entire career is, and I don't mean to present this as him as being a narcissist because that's not what I mean. I'm just saying this is the truth. Relevance for LeBron is center of the universe. Everywhere I have been, everything revolves around me.

Starting point is 00:29:35 I am the most important person in any setting that I'm ever in. And ever since the Lakers traded for Luca, and there have been, I guess, little signs of it before just because the Lakers were clearly reluctant to just go all in, no questions asked with LeBron and A.D., but especially ever since they traded for Luca, it has become clear that he's not the number one priority. And I think where this really reared its head in a way that I think bothered LeBron more than anything else was when they did not give him his standard one plus one deal and allow him to keep his options

Starting point is 00:30:16 open essentially in perpetuity at 50-ish mill a pop for however long he wanted. and this is something our everydayers know, that's the right choice. The Lakers made the right choice here, not because they want to push LeBron out the door necessarily, not because they aren't grateful for LeBron, not because they don't think LeBron is good. It's because you can't plan a team that way. You cannot properly plan a future when that amount of money with a player at that age is essentially unaccounted for every year. And I think that is something that LeBron is bothered by.

Starting point is 00:30:58 Like the idea that you think, but you think that he, his objection here is that he is, is it a difficulty adjusting to not being the center of the universe? Imagine to some degree it is. Or just that he just refuses to exist in a way that he isn't because, I mean, if, I don't know him well enough to know what the difference would even be. I'm saying if it is an adjustment, I don't blame him for it being. I'm sure it is. But like I think there's probably a little bit of of uncertainty of how to operate when your normal path of leverage is not as effective as it used to be.

Starting point is 00:31:41 That's the other problem is he knows he doesn't have leverage. This is the first time LeBron. I've thought about this recently. And LeBron is often really, he's used up teams down to the marrow in terms of all of their assets. Like he's kind of squeezed them dry and then he leaves. And so it's clear those teams got their end of the bargain too because Miami, Cleveland, they won championships. Like those teams should have no complaints with LeBron. And for that matter, the Lakers should have no complaints with LeBron.

Starting point is 00:32:14 But typically LeBron finds the exit ramp before the team he's on. This is the first time that a team has at least had an exit ramp before LeBron has had one. Yeah, I mean, I see that. I just, I find it hard to believe that he is delusional enough to believe that he should be treated, like in the same way with the same timeline and all these other things and the same priority as the Lakers are treating, you know, should treat Luca. I just, I find that hard to believe. And so I think what, you know, some of the reluctance, I think, to go all in was honestly

Starting point is 00:32:56 less about LeBron, but pre-Luca trade. I think it was more about AD. I think they had, they were very skeptical of that of a combo and, and, and what to do about it because the timeline for that was just so freaking goofy. Yeah. But I just, I have trouble. I think this is just where like I know you said, you're not trying to describe it in kind of a narcissistic way. But it's hard for me to kind of read it in any other way.

Starting point is 00:33:24 Like he's, I mean, we're talking about a world where guys get ranked the third best basketball player in the world and find that deeply disrespectful. I know. I understand. And like I said, ego is obviously part of this. I'm not judging LeBron for any of this. I just think this is the situation. part of the reason LeBron is LeBron. It's because you have to be on some level this type of wiring.

Starting point is 00:33:49 I just think this is really, really genuinely the first time where the Lakers, I mean, I think the, I think the Lakers interests and LeBron's interest actually overlap more than people are talking about. Because it's also in the Lakers' interest to build the best team around Luca as quickly as you possibly can without doing stupid. things. And that can include a guy who is second team all NBA. And so, which is what LeBron is. You got to replace that talent if you don't. And it's a lot easier said than done. But you know, we'll talk a little bit more about this tomorrow. But like just going forward how, you know, the feeling of what I want, which is to have a chance to play championship caliber basketball, isn't.

Starting point is 00:34:41 quite there yet with where I am and the people who are here aren't quite, you know, I think he gets where he is in the packing order. It's just what he wants is different potentially than what the Lakers are willing to do. Or really more specifically what the Lakers can do. There's that. And we'll get into some of this for a Friday show as well. Some of that packing order, I really do think, this is a reflection

Starting point is 00:35:12 of life under an expected new ownership. Like for all intents and purposes, it's a new ownership group because there's a, I'll put it this way. Remember when we did one of our early shows about what could be different in the Mark Walter regime? One of the things I said, you know, a day or so after the news broke was

Starting point is 00:35:36 I do not think Mark Walter will be as, automatically inclined to give LeBron this type of a deal just automatically in perpetuity, no questions asked. I also don't believe that Jeannie Bus would have had the stomach to do this without Mark Walter as some type of backstop. Possibly. Think about that. Locked on Lickers on YouTube.

Starting point is 00:35:58 We should go hang out with over 35,000 subscribers do leave us questions. Mailbag is open. We will answer them on upcoming shows if you leave us good questions in the comment, section or at Cam Brothers on Twitter. We'll see everyone tomorrow.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Bradley Beal PICKS CLIPPERS OVER THE LAKERS. Plus, What does LeBron Really Want?

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.