Lakers Future With Luka Doncic Could Hinge on LeBron’s Decision

The Los Angeles Lakers traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic a couple of weeks before the trade deadline. It was a move that shaped the future of the franchise.

Doncic can become the face of the franchise over the next decade, which was the plan when they made the move to acquire him. The Lakers think he can lead them to a title.

LeBron James has been their most important player since he signed with the team. That might have changed now that Doncic is on the roster and has many more years to play than James does.

The Lakers' future with Luka Doncic will be determined by how they pay LeBron James

James has been the most expensive player on the Lakers' roster for years now, which is to be expected. He has been their best player and deserves to be paid as such.

Doncic is now the best player on the team. If they continue to pay James the enormous amount of money that he has been paid for the next two or three years, it becomes much harder to pay players around Doncic.

James has already shown that he will not take a pay cut for any reason, even to help the team build a contender around him. That clearly won't change in the near future, either.

The Lakers are committed to Doncic in the long-term. They need to show that they are able to build a roster around him that best fits his style of play.

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As Doncic tries to get in better shape so that he can last in the playoffs, the Lakers need to make it clear with James what they expect to do with him in the next few years.

There's a shot that James could opt out of his contract if he doesn't like what the Lakers tell him. That's a risk they are willing to take with a 40-year-old star.

Once he was traded to the Lakers, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game.

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