LeBron James And Austin Reaves Reportedly Don't Like Playing With Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic has gelled well on the court with LeBron James and Austin Reaves during their short time as teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers, but NBA insider John Gambadoro claims all is not well. On the latest episode of the Burns and Gambo Show, Gambadoro stated that James and Reaves do not like playing with Doncic.

"LeBron does not like playing with Luka," Gambadoro said. "Reaves does not like playing with Luka. Reaves does not like getting the ball with two seconds left on the shot clock. LeBron is not fond of playing with Luka. The Lakers are going to turn their attention to build around Luka, not LeBron.

"So, this is Luka's team now," Gambadoro added. "... He'll probably come back, but I wouldn't say it's a guaranteed no-brainer LeBron comes back to the Lakers because there are guys that don't like playing with Luka."

Gambadoro also wondered if James is struggling to handle the fact that a teammate of his is now the top dog for the first time in his career. All of this is quite interesting considering we haven't heard anything prior to this about any sort of discontent between them.

James has spoken glowingly of Doncic's game and has never really thrown shade at his teammate at any point. The 40-year-old has done that to others in the past, but not to him.

As for Reaves, a deeper look at his numbers suggests he should have liked playing with Doncic. In the games he played without the Slovenian this past season, he averaged 19.8 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting 45% from the field and 36.2% from beyond the arc.

When Doncic was playing alongside him, Reaves averaged 21.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He was more efficient, too, shooting 47.9% from the field and 40.2% from beyond the arc.    

There were some concerns that Doncic's arrival might hurt Reaves on offense, but that hasn't been the case. The five-time All-Star has instead made life easier on the court for Reaves, as evidenced by those numbers.

The only problem when it comes to these two playing together is that they're both not great defenders. The Minnesota Timberwolves repeatedly hunted them in the first round of the playoffs, and that contributed to the Lakers getting eliminated in five games.

Reaves, however, dismissed those defensive concerns regarding himself and Doncic. He thinks the two of them, along with James, will create chaos next season. It's unclear if these three will be playing together in 2025-26, though.

At first, there was talk about Reaves being traded this offseason as he could potentially hit free agency in 2026. It is expected that he will ask for a deal worth nearly $30 million per year, and that would be a significant financial commitment.

That trade talk has died down a bit now, though, and James is now the one potentially headed to the exit door. NBA insider Shams Charania stated that he could leave the Lakers if he doesn't think they can compete for a title.

Doncic looks to be the only one guaranteed to be with the Lakers long-term. The 26-year-old is widely expected to sign an extension in August, and the Lakers are making all their moves now with him in mind.