The Lakers will have a hard time signing or trading for some great stars in the free agent market for the 2024 offseason. Many fans and media think that these are LeBron James' problems, because they don't want to play with LeBron James and become the team's backstabbers like Willis, Drummond and other stars.
For this reason, the American media "Fadeaway World" posted 7 stars who do not want to join the Lakers and join LeBron James, and we can see that these stars have been rumored to cooperate with LeBron James.
1. Butler
In 2019, rumors spread between Butler and the Lakers. There are reports that he will join the Lakers and join LeBron James. Later, he chose to join the Miami Heat. If he had joined the Lakers at that time, he would have won one championship. However, now he has led the Heat to the Finals twice, which has earned him the title of superstar.
2. Leonard
After Leonard led the team to defeat the superteam Golden State Warriors in 2019, he announced that he would leave the Raptors and go to the metropolitan team. Many teams were vying for him, and the Lakers offered good terms, but he chose the Clippers in the end. Leonard's waiver of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in his native California was a bit of a surprise at the time. Leonard and the Clippers previously signed a three-year, $153 million contract extension.
3. Paul George
In 2019, Paul George was preparing to leave the Thunder, when it was reported that Paul George intended to join the Lakers, but Paul George put the Lakers on the plane, and he chose to join the Clippers. In the 2024 offseason, the Lakers were revealed to be interested in Paul George, but Paul George wanted a contract with a maximum salary, which made it difficult for the Lakers to meet his requirements. In the end, he signed a major four-year contract worth $212 million with the 76ers.
4. Durant
When Durant fell out with the Golden State Warriors, many fans and media proposed that Durant join the Los Angeles Lakers and join LeBron James to take revenge on the Golden State Warriors. As a result, Durant teamed up with Kyrie Irving to join the Brooklyn Nets and play brother basketball. Unfortunately, when he left the Nets later, he still insisted on refusing to cooperate with LeBron James and joined the Phoenix Suns.
5. Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving and LeBron James have worked together in the All-Star Game after parting ways in 2017. In recent seasons, there have been many rumors that the two may work together, but the two do want to work together again. Each has recruited each other to join the team they play for.
6. Chris Paul
Chris Paul was recently cut by the Golden State Warriors, who opted for a one-year, $11 million contract to join the Spurs. Chris Paul could have chosen a veteran base salary to join the Lakers and join LeBron James, but unfortunately he gave up his dream of winning the championship for the sake of money.
7. Klay Thompson
The biggest news of the 2024 offseason is naturally that LeBron James is willing to accept a pay cut and call to recruit Klay Thompson. Unfortunately, Klay Thompson ended up choosing the Dallas Mavericks' $50 million for three years instead of the Lakers' $80 million for four years.