The Lakers will spend the summer trying to fill their depleted roster with a supporting cast for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. To ease the pressure a bit, Davis waived his $4 million trade kicker so L.A. would have more cap space. Davis explains what led him to make this decision to the Los Angeles Times.
"Money comes and goes; your legacy is forever," Davis said. "I think how you establish yourself in the NBA and what you do on and off the court is something that people will remember forever. Obviously, our money is public and people know what we make, but at the end of the day no one cares about how much money you make."
"Anthony Davis is not going to be a great basketball player because of the amount of money he makes, it’s going to be about what he achieved on the court and also off the court," he continued. "That’s all part of my legacy, and I think that’s way more valuable than any monetary value."
The next commitment Los Angeles seeks is from Kawhi Leonard, who's elected to not make an announcement last Sunday. Before he makes his choice, Leonard and his uncle/business advisor, Dennis Robertson, requested to meet with former Lakers president Magic Johnson.Los Angeles Times reporter Broderick Turner said on Spectrum SportsNet that Leonard wanted to know if the drama that led to Johnson's resignation still lingers within the organization.
The uncle’s questions were ‘what’s really going on in the organization between you, Jeanie, Rob Pelinka, everyone? Is it as dysfunctional as we’re reading and hearing?’ And the response was ‘we had some issues, but we’re past that. I’m past that. We’re still a family, such as you fight with your brothers and sisters sometimes, well, I had somewhat of a disagreement with my sister. And Rob Pelinka, yes, I said he was a back-stabber, but that happened then. Now I want the Lakers to be a championship team. Having Kawhi here would do that.
This focus on championships is a mutual goal shared by Leonard's potential teammates. Like Kawhi, LeBron James has brought in his own medical staff to monitor his body and keep him in championship form while AD told the Times his sole goal is to bring another banner to the Staples Center.
"My goal is to win a championship," Davis said. "I expect to win every time I step on the court, every game. I want to win a title. That’s what it’s about — winning titles. That’s the only thing on my mind."
