One incident left LeBron feeling like Lakers took him for granted

"Still, James' celebratory mood didn't last long.

"Lakers coach JJ Redick had announced all the individual accomplishments in the postgame locker room, eliciting a cascading round of applause by L.A. players and assistant coaches.

"And then Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' president of basketball operations and general manager, addressed the team. He had the game ball in his hands.

"Rather than hand it to Hachimura or Doncic or James, Pelinka walked to the front of the room and presented the ball to Redick, who had just presided over his 100th coaching win.

"James has a 'great' relationship with Redick, sources close to him say -- with one telling ESPN that Redick's hiring is 'one thing the Lakers got right.'

"But James, who played the past eight seasons in Los Angeles and helped deliver the franchise its 17th championship in 2020, saw Pelinka's priority in that moment as yet another example of the Lakers taking him for granted, sources said."

The Lakers will now have a delicate line to walk this summer — if they want James back, as Pelinka has publicly said they do, they will have to offer him enough money to stay but not so much that it hampers their salary cap flexibility. They have other incumbent players they will want to re-sign, including Austin Reaves, and they will almost assuredly want to add at least one needle-moving complementary player via free agency.

If the Lakers offer James substantially less than the $52.6 million he made this season in an effort to maintain enough flexibility to become a championship-level team next season, would James make that sacrifice, or could he possibly decide to interpret the reduced offer as an insult? Could he see a reduced offer as another subjective sign that they have been taking him for granted?

While L.A. is now in the business of building a team around and for Doncic, it still may need James' services for at least one more year. Finding the right balance between doing both, let alone also showing James how much he is still needed and appreciated, won't be easy.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: One incident left LeBron feeling like Lakers took him for granted