Furthermore, the first-year head coach said one wrinkle he will implement and stick with is having the offense run through Anthony Davis, and James concurred, sources said. The team has been encouraged with Davis’ offseason progression and believe he’ll be in optimum shape to avoid serious injuries and carry a heavier load. -via Yahoo! Sports / August 10, 2022

And while contract dialogue was broached, the majority of the hour-long meeting was about expressing concerns, and hearing out strategies and opinions to assure there wouldn’t be a repeat of last season’s epic failure, league sources told Yahoo Sports. James, sources said, drilled home the importance of consistent competitiveness and cohesion, noting that last season’s team didn’t give themselves a chance on many nights. The focus for the future Hall of Famer is competing every night in order to give themselves a chance to compete for a championship. -via Yahoo! Sports / August 10, 2022

James, who turns 38 in December, can negotiate an extension through the end of next June, providing a long runway before any decision needs to be made. However, the prospect of James playing out the final year of his current contract without further agreement could turn into a significant distraction during Darvin Ham’s first year as the Lakers’ coach. James, though, could use pending free agency as leverage, forcing the Lakers into strengthening their roster by forfeiting even more future draft picks. The Lakers, according to people with knowledge of the situation said, haven’t shown interest in deals requiring them to trade both their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. The team has also resisted taking on long-term contracts in deals. -via Los Angeles Times / August 4, 2022

“I think [projecting Lakers to be a Play-In team] is kind of generous,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “That’s believing that the Lakers are going to get a mostly healthy season from Anthony Davis and LeBron James. “Unless those two are playing at a very high level, with the roster that they currently have, the Lakers are going to have to be great to get into that playoff situation. -via TalkBasket / August 10, 2022

“The supporting cast that they have assembled is just really kind of haphazard. They have a new coaching staff, they’re going to have a whole bunch of new players and new alignments. “They’re really going to need LeBron and AD to carry them to a bunch of wins in a Western Conference that is going to be highly, highly competitive.” -via TalkBasket / August 10, 2022