Stars who didn't want to join LeBron James and the Lakers

Yesterday at 03:19 PM

It might seem like the Lakers are the premiere destination for an NBA superstar right now after their blockbuster trade to land Luka Dončić, but believe it or not, not everyone wants to join LeBron James in glitzy LA to don the purple and gold.

Despite the number of league-altering big names the Lakers have landed through trades or free agency over the years — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol, LeBron James and now Luka Dončić, to name a few — recent history shows there are some stars who have no desire to play for the basketball royalty powerhouse Lakers.

The Lakers famously courted Paul George during free agency in 2018, and then Kawhi Leonard in 2019, only to be rebuffed by both, and even worse, see them each sign with LA’s perennial little brother, the Clippers.

Kevin Durant easily could have chosen to sign with the Lakers as a free agent in 2016 or again in 2019, but instead chose the Warriors and Nets. He also could have insisted on a trade to team up with LeBron and the Lakers when he became disgruntled in Brooklyn in 2023, but opted instead to push for Devin Booker and Phoenix.

And what about Jimmy Butler, who has forced his way out of Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia and now most likely Miami as well? If Butler could finagle his way out of all of these big-city storied franchises, he easily could have demanded a trade to the Lakers if he so chose, but it seems like that has never been the case.

Let’s also not forget Klay Thompson, who besides being from LA and cheering on his brother Trayce when he was on the Dodgers, is the son of a showtime Lakers fan-favorite Mychal Thompson. Despite these Laker ties, Klay chose to sign with the Dallas Mavericks this past offseason instead of LA.

Kyrie Irving spent the early part of his 2023 offseason in courtside seats watching the Lakers on their surprising playoff run to the Western Conference finals, which led to some speculation that he would sign with LA in free agency. There were even reports he wanted to re-team with LeBron James. But he decided instead to sign with the Mavericks after his own blockbuster trade there mid-season.

Probably the most famous Lakers near-miss of all time though is the trade for Chris Paul that never quite was. Paul was nearly a Laker in his prime alongside Kobe Bryant in 2011, when the deal was nixed by David Stern following intense pressure from other team owners. Although in this case, it wasn’t the player Chris Paul himself who didn’t want to play there — it was basically everyone else around the league.

So for those who feel like the Lakers get every big name they desire, remember there are still a few who opt not to team with superstars like LeBron James. Luckily for the King, Luka Dončić is not one of them — and the future is once again looking sparkly and bright in Hollywood.

The post Stars who didn’t want to join LeBron James and the Lakers appeared first on ClutchPoints.