On July 2, Beijing time, two days after the free market opened, the Lakers did little except renew Christie's contract for 4 years and 32 million. Paul, Valanciunas, Murray, and Klay didn't come either, and they were all robbed by other teams. So the question is, why is it not attractive for the Lakers to be backed by giants + big cities like Los Angeles?
Reason 1: Although Los Angeles is a big city, the taxes in California are too heavy, and the money that players receive after tax may only be about 45% of the contract, which means that they have to pay 55% of the tax. For example, James, with an annual salary of 50 million, may only receive about $22.5 million after tax. For some superstars, they may not care because they can be made up from other commercial channels, but for some ordinary players with little commercial value, it is difficult to accept. If you want to come to California, then you need a higher contract, for example, Valanciunas to go to the Wizards is 3 years 33 million, and the Lakers may need 3 years and 42 million.
Reason 2: The Lakers are not competitive. It's an indisputable fact that, in the face of high taxes, there is another requirement to attract players to join: the competitiveness to compete for the title. Some older players may give up their salaries for the sake of a championship, but unfortunately, the current Lakers are not capable of competing for a championship on paper.
Reason 3: Management confusion. One thing to say, since recent years, especially after Aunt Jenny became the owner of the Lakers, the management of the Lakers has been very chaotic, with all kinds of honey operations. In addition, Aunt Jenny really has no money and does not want to pay luxury tax, so no one wants to come. In fact, since Kobe Bryant's retirement, no big-name star is willing to come to the Lakers except James, and the thick eyebrows are still because James came to the Lakers.
Reason 4: Stressful. In a big market like the Lakers, especially with James, every move of the Lakers players will be watched. And this kind of attention will cause a lot of pressure, and if someone who is not strong in pressure ability comes to the Lakers, the performance will definitely not be good.