Los Angeles Lakers Didn’t Tell LeBron James About Mark Walter Sale, Told Luka Dončić

When the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter for $10 billion on June 18, Luka Dončić was given a heads-up, but NBA legend LeBron James was not given the same notice.

This is just one of the several signs that the Lakers are moving on from James and building around Dončić, according to NBA insiders Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN. 

“Since the Doncic trade on Feb. 1, the Lakers have signaled this shift from James to Doncic through a series of microaggressions,” Shelburne and Windhorst wrote. “They did not give him significant notice that they were trading Anthony Davis for Doncic — a transgression James forgave, sources said, because of his respect for Doncic and understanding of the franchise’s reasoning for making the trade and keeping it under wraps for as long as possible.

“Within days of acquiring Doncic, Rob Pelinka attempted to pair him with Mark Williams, an athletic young center. Davis and James had for years been asking the franchise to acquire a true center, without avail. When the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter on June 18, Doncic was given a heads-up and notably posted a congratulations on social media afterward. James was not given the same notice and did not post any public acknowledgement afterward.

“Then of course, the coup de grâce: The Lakers, by not offering James an extension, indicated they were comfortable having him on the roster as an expiring contract, a rare position for a superstar player of his caliber.”

James opted in to his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers worth $52.6 million. Rich Paul of Klutch Sports delivered a cryptic statement to NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN after his client opted in, which has led many to believe that LeBron could request a trade this offseason.

The Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games. James made the All-NBA Second Team last season, proving that he’s still one of the top players in the league despite being the oldest guy in the league. 

James has a no-trade clause in his contract. If he wants to leave the Lakers, he can request a trade and Los Angeles has to trade the small forward. 

Dončić can sign an extension with the Lakers on August 2 for as much as four years and $229 million. The former Dallas Mavericks superstar point-forward can also agree to a two-year extension to get him to 10 years of service in the summer of 2028, when he could sign a five-year max contract at 35% of the salary cap to maximize his earnings.

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