Lakers News: Rival Blames LA's Lack of Free Agent Luck on 'Dictator' LeBron James

This is an egregious accusation.

July 6, 2023; North Augusta, S.C., USA; NBA star LeBron James coaches from the bench during the Strive for Greatness and Mokan Elite basketball game at the fourth day of the Nike Peach Jam at Riverview Park Activities Center. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network / Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK

Longtime NBA center Enes Freedom, an 11-year NBA pro who suited up for the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics from 2011-22, had some harsh words for the NBA's oldest active player, 20-time All-NBA Los Angeles Lakers combo forward LeBron James.

During an appearance on OutKick's “Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich," the 6-foot-10 big man blamed the Lakers' lack of free agent recruitment this offseason (the team has whiffed on adding now-Dallas Mavericks swingman Klay Thompson and now-Sacramento Kings wing DeMar DeRozan, though it's unclear just how willing L.A. was to bring on the latter) on James' presence, specifically.

“No other player wants to go play with LeBron,” Freedom opined. “You had so many other free agents… No one wanted to go play with him, because they know that it’s all about LeBron. They’re gonna get zero clout… When the Lakers’ season fails, LeBron tries to find a player to blame, and he blamed the whole season on Russell Westbrook, so he is not a good teammate. Obviously, he runs the media, and he tries to control this narrative, but when you actually know and have a conversation inside of the NBA and its players, nobody wants to play with him."

This is a bit unfair — Westbrook, who can't defend or shoot and needs the ball in his hands to be his most effective, was a horrific fit on a Lakers team that was also fielding a near-geriatric roster without much defense or shooting, a recipe for disaster in a league where those attributes are musts. On his next team, the L.A. Clippers, he was a frisky regular-season role player whose weaknesses became glaring in the playoffs. The Clippers and Westbrook are reportedly heading for a divorce, despite the future Hall of Famer having picked up his $4 million player option for this year.

“When I see a dictator, I know it – LeBron is literally like the dictator of the NBA," Freedom said. "He controls the media. He controls his narrative. If you go against his agenda, you get traded. Everybody knows it.”

James wants to win, but only if the price is right. The four-time league MVP agreed to a lucrative new two-year deal to stay with the Lakers this summer. Los Angeles is no doubt hoping to bring aboard a solid vet via its $5.2 million taxpayer mid-level exception, but at present it has struggled to do so. The team didn't trade Westbrook away in 2023 because of an agenda, they traded him because he was clearly a miserable fit and they would have missed the playoffs for the second straight season with him on the roster. With Westbrook gone and an influx of players that made more sense now on the team (Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba), L.A. returned to the playoffs and went as far as the Western Conference Finals that spring.

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