Most Celtics fans get irate whenever the Lakers seem to nab major FAs off the market without realizing that the last big FA they ever signed outright was Shaq in 1996, way before the league placed a hard cap for overspending. Mr. Jerry Buss always overpaid for his squad and back then the social media world was nowhere as advanced as it is now. LA will always have the appeal, the celebrity lifestyle, but not every single NBA player wants to star in commercials and movies. Shaq, outside of basketball, wanted to be an actor and a rapper (both careers were a joke), and wanted a huge payday from Orlando who, because they were nowhere as filthy rich as Buss, refused, therefore him walking out on them. If we were talking present day Orlando they would most certainly have given him the max and built around him rather than worry about a fraud franchise like the Lakers outbid them for his services. I love the new CBA because it cripples the Lakers way of building a team AKA stealing already established superstar talent with the promise of a bigger fanbase and rich championship history. In today's league that's not enough weight to attract a FA. Lakers need to field a competitive team first before even thinking of chasing the big kahunas. Offering max money isn't enough. When the salary cap increases every single team will benefit from it since they can pretty much pay for their own superstars as they can offer the most money. Players like Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Aldridge, are gonna be tried to be retained at all costs and have a far better team assembled than the Lakers. And even if they pull out lopsided trades and signings what's next? You really think a incompetent coach like Byron Scott is gonna lead them to a title? A lot of people oversee how lucky the Lakers were when they nabbed Phil Jackson one year removed from a second three-peat and a manipulative Kobe pulled strings to end up in LA. I seriously doubt that'll happen again. If it happens then I will admit that the league just wants LA to remain their darlings.