It's Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, rising salaries, and the new NBA.
In the past, when the Lakers have been headed downhill, they've just make all of their contracts
expire at the same time, sign the 2 best players in the league, and they were set.
With Kevin Durant signing the big shoe contract when playing for a small NBA market, Damian
Lillard following suit, player have found they don't have to be in LA to get the big shoe contracts.
With the rise in player salaries, they can buy several houses at pretty much any locations. So,
if they like LA the town, they just buy a house and live there in the offseason. The incentives have
changed to signing with the best team for the most $$$, and that hasn't been LA.
They sucked at GMing for years, but surprisingly, Magic is doing a good job. Regardless, they're
trying a hybrid strategy of building through the draft, and supplementing it with FAs.
They may get PG, but he only wants to sign there because he is from LA.