We already knew that the Los Angeles Lakers’ brass consulted with LeBron James when it came to potential signings, but now we’ve been made aware of the extent that it irks player agents around the NBA.

In a report from Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, “player agents have grumbled that no one could get on the Lakers without James’s approval.”

The annoyance is understandable, because a player having control over when your client makes a team is a less-than-ideal position to be in.

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Still when you have talent like James and Anthony Davis, who are the core of your franchise, it makes sense for Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and co. to get the input on the players that would potentially suit up alongside them.

“...Anytime as a general manager when you have superstars on your team, especially guys that have the basketball IQ and just the understanding of the game that Anthony Davis and LeBron have, of course, you are going to be tapping into them as partners,” Pelinka said in a conference call in July.

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“We view our relationships here with our star players here as partnerships. I know both Anthony and LeBron are excited about the 14 guys and how we are going to come together, and their input, both of their input, Anthony and LeBron, has been incredibly valuable to me.”

So far, the strategy appears to be working. The Lakers are a league-best 16-2, and appear to have the depth to challenge for the title.