LeBron James Offered Forgiveness to Lakers After Unexpected Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt John | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 7:32 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers shocked everyone when they acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis. Davis had been on the team since 2019 and had helped the Lakers win their 17th title in 2020.

However, at the same time, they traded for Doncic, a 26-year-old superstar who had already made five All-Star teams and five All-NBA first teams and had just led the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance in 13 years when they made it in 2024.

Since winning the title in 2020, the furthest the Lakers had gone with Davis and LeBron James was the Western Conference Finals in 2023. In the last two years, the Lakers had been eliminated in the first round. First by the Denver Nuggets in 2024 and then by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2025.

Among those who did not know in advance that the Lakers were trading for Doncic was LeBron James. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst reported that James did not know, but also didn't mind in the end after the trade was finalized.

"They did not give (James) significant notice that they were trading 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 for keeping it under wraps for as long as possible," Windhorst and Shelburne reported.

Passing the torch from one franchise superstar to another is never easy. The Lakers are attempting one of the most delicate transitions in NBA history. Story with ⁦@WindhorstESPN⁩ https://t.co/DYsOCbBKIL
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 11, 2025

James has since opted in with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season, but there appears to be uncertainty as to whether he will suit up for them because of the lack of long-term contract security.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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