LOS ANGELES — LeBron James has vowed to use his persuasive powers to recruit elite talent to the Los Angeles Lakers this summer and end the organization’s ongoing slump.

James was shut down for the season last weekend, with the Lakers again having missed the playoffs, but he has no plans to rest over the next few months, instead pouring his energies into convincing other superstars to join him at Staples Center.

“So it’s very critical to me and my future,” James told Bleacher Report, when asked about the importance of adding another big-name player before the start of next season. “And I’m positive and very optimistic that Magic (Johnson) and Rob (Pelinka) and the franchise will be great.”

Team president Johnson and general manager Pelinka failed in their attempts to pry Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans before the trade deadline, and will face stiff competition for the leading free agents on the market. However, James believes his role as a recruiter will also be a key part of the process.

“They got me,” he said. “I’m very confident. And I’m confident that players want to play with me. I’m very confident in that.”

PLAYOFF PREDICTOR:Up-to-date forecast of first-round matchups

SEASON OVER:LeBron still has to earn Lakers fans' loyalty

NBA-BOUND:Ja Morant says family pushed him to be better

GET MORE NBA:Exclusive content with our Click & Roll newsletter

Those remarks could be taken as a response to rumors, sparked in large part by comments from Kevin Durant earlier in the season, that many top players were reluctant to pair with James and the Lakers because of the level of media scrutiny involved. The team’s success moving forward may largely hinge on James’ ability to prove that theory wrong.

“It’s a critical summer for myself,” James said. “Obviously, the franchise is going to live forever. But for me, personally, it is very critical, because I want to compete and I want to compete now.”

He added: “I’ve never played fantasy basketball. But I will be as active as I need to be for this franchise to get better. That why I came here. I came here to win. And obviously, we need to get better, as far as our personnel. We have an opportunity to get better. And there’s a lot of talent out there, and a lot of guys that can help our franchise.”

The Lakers will have a wide-open roster as seven of their 14 players are due to be out of contract once the season ends. Davis could still be in play, if the Pelicans show more willingness to deal with the Lakers than was the case around the trade deadline. Other names such as Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson would all hold appeal for James and the Lakers as they seek to move forward from a campaign that was riddled with injuries and fell apart following the All-Star break.

Heading into Thursday night’s clash with the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers were 35-43.

Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter @RogersJourno