1 of 7

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Lakers have caught roughly everyone off guard with their after-LeBron moves. They did not sign another superstar free agent. Nor did they trade for Kawhi Leonard.

They re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. They added Rajon Rondo. And JaVale McGee. And Lance Stephenson. And then, most recently, they scooped up Michael Beasley for good measure.

These moves are, apparently, all part of a larger plan. Though they are directionless in the interim, a series of one-year deals preserves the Lakers' long-term flexibility. Stretching Luol Deng's contract gives them a clear path to more than $35 million in space ahead of 2019 free agency, by which time James will have been putting down roots and recruiting fellow megahumans for an entire year.

Go ahead and keep those Kawhi Leonard Lakers jerseys on custom order. Or reserve space on your living room mantle for a Jimmy Butler Lakers bobblehead. If you're feeling particularly spunky, practice your shocked-but-not-really face for when Kevin Durant (player option) announces via Kyle Kuzma's burner Twitter account that he's leaving the Golden State Warriors for purple-and-gold digs.

Except, before you do all that, maybe don't. What if James isn't genuinely a free-agent magnet? What if he's instead superstar repellant? Awkward, yes, but not off-base.

Consider the facts and rumors: Kyrie Irving forced his way "out of Cleveland because he did not want to play another minute with James," according to The Athletic's Jason Lloyd. Paul George didn't even grant the Lakers a meeting in free agency after being ticketed for Hollywood more than one year earlier. And then we have the Kawhi thing.

It appears the San Antonio Spurs asked for the universe in negotiations, as ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne noted during an appearance on ESPN Los Angeles' Mason & Ireland show. The Lakers had no incentive to pay a premium for a player they believe is signing with them in 2019. But this assumes Leonard, along with other star free agents, is enamored with the chance to work alongside James.

As ESPN.com's Zach Lowe said during an episode of The Lowe Post podcast:

"Having talked to people who have been around him, I don't know that he doesn't want to play with LeBron. I don't know that playing with LeBron is a golden carrot—a golden ring that he's aspiring to. I don't know if it's anything. I don't know if it's just a situation he could take or leave, [like] it's not a plus, it's not a minus."

Whatever the end result, next summer figures to be a barometer for how much sway James has over his peers entering his age-35 season.