Fansided

Lakers acquiring Tyson Chandler may have been part of LeBron’s ‘master plan’

By Cody Rivera

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 7: Tyson Chandler #5 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers exchange handshakes against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 7, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 7: Tyson Chandler #5 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers exchange handshakes against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 7, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LeBron James may have played a role in the Phoenix Suns releasing Tyson Chandler, making him available for LeBron’s Lakers to pick up.

According to rumors, it was apparently no coincidence that Tyson Chandler just happened to be available for the Los Angeles Lakers to pick up. It may have happened because it was something that LeBron James wanted to happen.

That’s the thing about LeBron. He has a little bit of unofficial power that no other player in the NBA has. It’s just one of the benefits that comes with being the best basketball player in the world.

The Lakers have been getting some great play this season from center JaVale McGee, who has been averaging 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. But there is no doubt an additional big man would provide some much needed depth as they have been trying to break out of their early-season slump. Chandler seemed like the perfect player to fill that role. The only problem was that Chandler was under contract with the Phoenix Suns.

Then, suddenly out of nowhere, Phoenix decided to buy out that contract, and the Lakers were ready to scoop Chandler up. According to Ken Berger of Bleacher Report, it may have been a result of LeBron calling in a favor from his old friend and teammate James Jones, the general manager of the Suns. Jones may have been a secret part of LeBron’s “master plan” to bring Chandler to Los Angeles.

“They could have bought (Chandler) out at the trade deadline and gotten great leadership and mentoring for two-thirds of the season,” a rival executive told Bleacher Report. “But LeBron wanted him now.”

If this is truly how it went down, it speaks volumes about the way LeBron has impacted the NBA. There is literally no other player in the league that would be able to pull something like this off, but James might be the most unique NBA player we’ve seen in a long time.

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However, if I’m a Suns fan, I would be pretty unhappy with Jones for agreeing to this and essentially lending a hand to their rival Lakers. Whether LeBron is his close friend or not, doing anything to help the Lakers is pretty much unlawful in Phoenix.

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