Charles Barkley Gives Blunt Take on the Future of The LA Lakers

After making a franchise-altering trade midway through last season, the LA Lakers have been a major topic of discussion this offseason. Amid discourse of more changes potentially on the way, one Philadelphia 76ers legend gave his take on the future of the iconic franchise.

In a move that stunned everyone, the Lakers acquired a new star they can build around for the foreseeable future in Luka Doncic. While he and LeBron James had success in their early days together, it's unknown how much longer they'll be playing alongside one another. Shortly after he opted into his player option for next season, speculation arose of LA potentially moving on from the 21-time All-Star.

While speaking with Jason Fitz of Yahoo Sports, Charles Barkley was asked how he feels the Lakers should approach their new star duo moving forward. He, like many others, feels that Doncic has become the focal point of the franchise now.

"Well he's on the downside of his career, it's Luka's team going forward," Barkley said. "Hey, they got bigger problems than those guys. They got to worry about the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets, and the Denver Nuggets."