The Los Angeles Lakers are Luka Doncic’s team now and with their decisions this offseason the franchise has made that very clear. Everything the team has done this summer has been about maximizing their ability to build around Doncic, both in the present and future.
This was even made clear to Luka himself earlier this offseason as the Lakers superstar guard met with Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick at a Hollywood restaurant where the team’s plans were laid out to him, via Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
The purpose of the meeting was as clear as their choice of door: Doncic is the face of the franchise now and the Lakers wanted him — and everyone else — to know it.
Over a bottle of Opus One, Pelinka and Redick explained not only their strategy in building the team around Doncic’s skill set, sources told ESPN, but also the complexities of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement and how they planned to navigate it.
And Doncic and his representatives were apparently receptive to what the Lakers brass laid out with his manager Lara Beth Seager noting the strong working relationship that has been formed over the past few months:
That message has been received warmly. “The Lakers leadership team has been incredibly welcoming and supportive of Luka since we arrived in L.A.,” Seager told ESPN. “We’ve spent a lot of time talking and getting to know each other over the last few months, and we’ve formed a strong working relationship. Championships are won when you work together. We all share that same goal.”
For the past few years, it has been the Lakers working with LeBron James closely to do whatever was needed for this franchise to win at a high level. But the acquisition of Luka has caused the Lakers to switch gears, and rightfully so. The team still wants to compete right now, but they also have a map for how they want to build in the future and that involves Doncic at the forefront as the face of this franchise, something he is clearly embracing as well.
Luka Doncic excited about teaming with Deandre Ayton on Lakers
The Lakers’ biggest offseason acquisition was center Deandre Ayton, who projects as an ideal pick-and-roll partner with Luka Doncic. And Ayton’s skillset, along with his previous success in Phoenix, are the main reasons why Doncic is excited about teaming with him on the Lakers.
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