Luka Trade Rumor to Lakers?

DALLAS - There are media members who are obsessed with the idea of the Los Angeles Lakers being destined to acquire ever star. ... especially if that star has yet to win an NBA championship, as the Lakers have done so often - though also so long ago.

Despite Luka Doncic winning Western Conference Finals MVP and earning an NBA Finals berth in 2024 - meaning the Dallas Mavericks are closer to a title than the Lakers are - the superstar's name remerges time and time again in media trade discourse with the Lakers as the destination.

Because maybe Doncic isn't Dirk Nowitzki (who is?), asking any player to mimic Nowitzki's loyalist run, having spent his 21-year NBA career solely with the Mavericks, might be too much.

It's plausible for Doncic - even though he has literally pledged to follow Dirk's lead - to someday want to move. But a move to L.A.? To be nearer a title? Where is the logic?

The Ringer's NBA analyst, Kevin O'Connor, has reported in the past that the Lakers are targeting Doncic. Fair enough, though O'Connor picks an odd time to revisit such a scenario.

"We'll see if that works out. Dallas just made a Finals. Dallas is looking better than ever with their supporting cast. That may not work out. But the Lakers, by not trading their future picks, clearly they're still thinking long-term at this point," O'Connor said on a recent episode of the Mismatch podcast.

LeBron James is Doncic's favorite player, which makes the Lakers' destination a fun subject in L.A. But do the Lakers really have the assets to make a legitimate run at Doncic? And is GM Rob Pelinka so connected that he could out-duel Mavs general manager Nico Harrison?

And why is it assumed the Lakers have a shot at Doncic ... especially if it's about on-court success? Dallas would have to fail miserably in the next two seasons to suddenly drop from being an attractive destination - which it presently is.

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According to ESPN front-office expert Bobby Marks, the five-time All-NBA first-team star is eventually eligible for a five-year, $346.3 million contract, which would be the largest in league history. ... and he can only get that deal in Dallas.

It's attention-getting to announce the Lakers as potential Doncic destination. But the Lakers acquiring anybody they wish to acquire - as time-proven as it is - isn't proof enough that Luka Doncic wants to move there. Indeed, there is no proof of such a thing at all.