For as much as Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers seemed to very clearly and publicly make it obvious that they considered Lonzo Ball the future of the team last season, this summer has served as just as much of a rebuttal, a months-long message to his camp that Lonzo isn’t irreplaceable, and a pushback against public perception that LaVar has any say in team business.
First there was the team signing veteran guard Rajon Rondo, who is expected to compete with Ball for the Lakers’ starting point guard job, a message that nothing was going to be handed to Lonzo in his second season.