The Los Angeles Lakers had a transformative trade deadline as they were able to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to pair with LeBron James.
They traded James’ former co-star and good friend Anthony Davis to do so, signaling the start of a new era of Lakers basketball. While the trade couldn’t have been easy for LeBron, he understood why the team made it and the organization was reportedly appreciative of the professionalism he showed after it went down.
After acquiring Doncic for Davis, the Lakers had a clear need at the center position. They ended up trading Dalton Knecht and draft capital to the Charlotte Hornets to address that, although Mark Williams failed his physical so the deal was rescinded.
Still though, the Lakers showed an immediate willingness to trade valuable draft picks to surround Doncic, and James, with enough talent to compete for a championship right away.
LeBron has been asking for the Lakers to trade draft picks to improve the team for a while now, but they had resisted until acquiring Doncic. That is something that James and his camp took note of, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
What is clear is that Doncic will have a say. And it wasn’t lost on James’ camp, sources said, that Pelinka prioritized Doncic’s involvement upon his arrival and immediately engaged in the Williams trade that he’d asked for, when James had for years wanted the team to trade its picks to improve its roster.
Again though, James is excited to play with Doncic and understands why the organization is going in this direction:
By keeping his negotiations with Mavericks GM Nico Harrison closed, and parting with someone so close to James without his signoff, Pelinka’s move could have easily caused James to want out, too. Instead, James understood the business decision and accepted that it was a deal they had to make, sources close to the veteran said.
Beyond their own belief in Doncic as a franchise cornerstone, Pelinka was aware of James’ affinity for Doncic. James had praised Doncic publicly in his “Mind the Game” podcast co-hosted with Redick last spring. The GM figured James would see the move as a basketball fit, sources said.
James has the ability to opt out of his contract this offseason, so it will be interesting to see how the rest of this year plays out. If things go well with Doncic then LeBron will likely want to finish his career with the Lakers. If things go south though then it’s also possible the 40-year-old asks out this summer.
LeBron James reiterates commitment to Lakers organization
As far as LeBron James’ public comments after the trade go, he stated that he remains committed to the organization.
“If I had concerns about it, I’d waive my no-trade clause and get up out of here. I’m here right now. I’m here right now. I’m committed to the Lakers organization. As the leader of the team, as one of the captains of the team, it’s my job to make it as seamless as possible [for the new acquisitions].”
LeBron also doesn’t have an issue with L.A. prioritizing its future now that the 25-year-old Luka Doncic is in it.
“What’s wrong with that?” James asked.
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