The Los Angeles Lakers always find their way into the spotlight when it comes to landing stars. They seemingly always find an avenue to acquire high talent and that was the case late Saturday night by acquiring five-time All-Star Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks.
Despite this being a deal that general manager Rob Pelinka would make every single time, the Lakers are presented with the challenge of overhauling their roster late into the season. On the positive side, L.A. has four days to try and make more noise.
Granted it is not a lot of time, but the Lakers need to still try and contend this season. Oddly enough, head coach JJ Redick and LeBron James discussed the best way to guard Doncic, thankfully, they do not have to worry about that problem anymore, via their Mind the Game podcast last summer:
What’s the most effective way to guard Luka Dončić in pick-and-roll? @KingJames and @jj_redick discuss on Episode 9 of Mind the Game: https://t.co/Kw9VayrAmz pic.twitter.com/EjoUUpvpwt
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) June 5, 2024
James is no stranger to Doncic as those two have had plenty of battles against each other. Thankfully, the 40-year-old does not have to stress about the 2023-24 scoring champion anymore with him being on his team now.
However, as opposing teams look to shut off Doncic and James, Redick needs to construct ways to make both stars successful. As mentioned, blitzing is going to be a strategy that is heavily utilized, but having two gifted passers can neutralize defensive pressure.
Pelinka still needs to find another trade or two to further solidify their chances to contend now and for years to come. Time is of the essence and hopefully, a defensive-minded center and guard or wing is on the way to make this roster make sense.
LeBron James not asking for trade before Feb. 6 deadline
Seeing the willingness of the Lakers to trade Anthony Davis to acquire an upper echelon talent in Luka Doncic, the team’s direction was clearly up in the air. If L.A. decided to move off of Davis, it feels like no one was off limits.
As rumors suggested that LeBron James did not see this blockbuster deal coming, who knows how he would react to seeing his co-star being dealt. However, the four-time champion is not expected to ask for a trade ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, securing a Luka Doncic and James duo with the Lakers at least for the remainder of this season.
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