When the Los Angeles Lakers signed LeBron James in 2018, the organization searched for its next face after Kobe Bryant's retirement in 2016. As expected, LBJ's arrival injected new life and excitement into the fanbase.
James also led the Purple and Gold to an NBA Championship in 2020, ending the team's decade-long drought. However, with the King turning 40 years old later this year, the organization has to plan who will fill his shoes.
Sure, Anthony Davis is still on the roster, but he is 31 years old. Moreover, AD's injury history doesn't make him an ideal candidate around whom the franchise can stay competitive in the future.
NBA insider suggests Lakers will replace James with Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic is coming off the best postseason run of his career. He led the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011. Although the Mavs suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics, it's hard to see Doncic leave Dallas anytime soon.
Despite that, NBA insider Kevin O'Connor claimed that the Lakers have their eyes set on Doncic as their future cornerstone player.
"I've reported on this podcast and on The Ringer how they have their sights set for Luka in the future," O'Connor said . "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 are still thinking long-term at this point. They're not going all in like you might expect many teams to do with James."
The primary reason behind O'Connor's report is the Lakers' reluctance to go all-in on a win-now roster around James. After all, as good as Bron is, he cannot continue dominating the NBA in his 40s.
James averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game during the 2023-24 NBA season. Despite putting in such numbers, LBJ couldn't help the Lakers avoid a first-round exit in the 2024 playoffs.
Will Doncic leave the Mavericks?
Doncic has played six years in the NBA and is coming off his first-ever finals appearance. He also has a talented secondary star, Kyrie Irving, on the roster. If that wasn't enough, the Mavs also signed four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson this past summer to further bolster the roster.
As things stand right now, Doncic has no reason to contemplate leaving the Mavericks. But he is still 25 years old and has most of his prime ahead of himself. Keeping that in mind, it won't be a surprise if he changes his mind in the future.
Either way, if Doncic wants to team up with another superstar, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki wants him to join forces with Nikola Jokic in Dallas. As of now, these are nothing but rumors and dreams. After all, Luka hasn't made any hints about potentially leaving the Mavs.
Related: Gilbert Arenas thinks Luka can only win with big guys around him: "Going small hurts him"
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