Lakers already have a LeBron James replacement in their sights

The Los Angeles Lakers are already preparing for the post-LeBron James era.

The veteran superstar will turn 40 during the upcoming season and is clearly in the final years of his career. As such, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office have had conversations on how to pivot when he eventually calls time on his historic career.

According to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, Luka Doncic is the man the Lakers envision leading their team in the future. The former third overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft is only 25 years old and could potentially be the Lakers star player for the next decade.

"I've reported on this podcast and on The Ringer how they have their sights set for Luka in the future,"  O'Connor said during a recent episode of The Mismatch. "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."

It's highly unlikely the Dallas Mavericks would agree to a Doncic trade unless he explicitly sought to force his way out of the franchise. Instead, Los Angeles' best chance of enticing him to Hollywood would be during free agency.

Doncic has three years left on his five-year $215 million deal, with the final season being a player option. As such, the MVP candidate could hit the free-agent market as early as 2026. If James plays two more seasons, the timing could work out perfectly and allow Pelinka to instantly replace his team's star talent.

The Mavericks will likely keep Doncic's contract from running down to the point where he could hit free agency. However, Dallas can't force him to re-sign if he believes the Lakers will give him a better chance of consistent and long-term success.

Los Angeles knows James will retire sooner or later. Doncic is the ideal replacement. Still, Pelinka will face a monstrous battle to bring such an elite talent to Los Angeles and would need help with Doncic forcing Dallas's hand.