30K Lakers supporters cast their votes for the players they would most like to see return to Los Angeles: Fans Reject LeBron James, 13% Say.
Surprisingly, 13% of the 30,000 Lakers supporters do not want LeBron James to return to the franchise.
When it comes to re-signing players, the Los Angeles Lakers have some important choices to make this offseason. Many players on their roster may be eligible for free agency in the summer, and over 30,000 supporters were surveyed to find out who they would like to see return. Remarkably, 13% of them objected to LeBron James being re-signed.
1. LeBron James: Yes/No: 87%–13%
2. Max Christie: Yes/No, 80%-20%
3. Taurean Prince: Yes/No = 59%-41%
4. D’Angelo Russell: Yes/No, 55%-45%
5. Jaxson Hayes: Yes/No, 55%-45%
6. Christian Wood: Yes/No, 43%–57%
7. Spencer Dinwiddie: Yes/No, 40%–60%
8. Cam Reddish: Yes/No, -39%–61%)
It’s understandable to question what the 13 percent were thinking about. There’s no way the Lakers will win a title anytime soon if LeBron, who has a $51.4 million player option for 2024–25, walks this summer.
James finished the regular season with averages of 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game, making him, at most, their second-best player in the 2023–24 campaign. The Lakers need the 39-year-old back after he performed admirably in that first-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
Regarding the others, it’s not shocking that Christie scored so highly. The Lakers faithful have always had a great deal of respect for him, but they were shocked when previous head coach Darvin Ham decided not to use him at all against the Nuggets. This summer, Christie will be a restricted free agent, and I anticipate that the Lakers will sign him again.
Given the amount of criticism Prince received from the fan base over the season, I’m a little shocked that he received so much love. Perhaps since he was the Lakers’ greatest player off the bench against the Nuggets, the 30-year-old was involved in that.
Russell did not play well versus Denver, however Prince did. The 28-year-old showed once again, that he cannot be relied upon in the playoffs. Had the fans been asked to vote when the regular season ended, Russell certainly would have gotten a lot more love.
I was surprised that Hayes was the only other player to be above 50 percent. Although the big man had some success in the second half of the season, I believe the Lakers need a better backup center than him.
Regarding the three under 50%, I believe the one unexpected finding was that 40% of voters genuinely desired Dinwiddie’s return. I don’t think he should be re-signed because he was so unsuccessful after the Lakers signed him in the middle of the season.