Phoenix Suns team governor Mat Ishbia is aggressive enough to pursue a soon-to-be 41-year-old LeBron James after just getting burned by a soon-to-be 37-year-old Kevin Durant. The Lakers should pounce at the opportunity to negotiate with him.

LeBron James’s latest power play makes it clear just how much the NBA team-building game has changed since his prime.

For the past seven years, the interests of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers broadly aligned. James rescued the Lakers from their post-Kobe Bryant odyssey. Even as he aged, James remained one of the best players in the NBA.