Jerry West: 'LeBron was not a tough free-agent signing' for Lakers

How much credit does the Los Angeles Lakers' brass truly deserve for signing LeBron James this offseason?

Lakers icon and Clippers adviser Jerry West will give the franchise some. But not much, as he believes James' mind was made up long before the start of free agency.

"All due respect to the Lakers, who handled everything well, but, as these things go, LeBron was not a tough free-agent signing," West told Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum. "LeBron wanted to come to L.A. and he wanted to come to the Lakers. Period.

"He has a family he's thinking about. He has a home here. He has a son whom he wants to keep in one school in Los Angeles. He will be a celebrity out here, sure, but it's a place where, once in a while, he can get lost, be himself. You can't do that everywhere."

Related - Pelinka: LeBron choosing Lakers was moment 'you'll never ever forget'

General manager Rob Pelinka, owner Jeanie Buss, and president of basketball operations Magic Johnson have all garnered praise for helping to secure the most prized free agent of the summer.

Kobe Bryant even said Johnson - who waited an hour in front of James' house before their meeting on June 30 - deserves a second statue outside of Staples Center for the part he played.