'Loser Mentality' – Los Angeles Lakers Gets Called Out by Nick Wright Amid LeBron James Rift

“It’s almost as if the Lakers are frustrated that LeBron hasn’t fallen off,” Wright said. “The Lakers post-Westbrook debacle, have treated every year as if, ‘Well, LeBron’s not gonna be that good and therefore it wouldn’t make sense for us to leverage everything to try to win at this moment.’ Each each, LeBron shows on the All-NBA team.

“They don’t want to trade him, they just want him to leave in the offseason, either into retirement or free agency for nothing. And then there is the, ‘Well, we just don’t think we can compete with these guys.’ I think that is a loser mentality.

Wright said that he would’ve taken full advantage of having James and Doncic on the same team if he were in the Los Angeles Lakers’ situation.

“If I’m trying to win NBA championships, I’d love having two top-ten guys on my team. It doesn’t seem like the Lakers necessarily feel that same way.”

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly looking to pair Doncic with another European star

The next step for the Los Angeles Lakers is to pursue a co-star for Doncic. According to NBA insider Anthony Irwin, the Lakers are positioning themselves to make a move for Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While the Lakers are gearing up to sign another star, the majority of media outlets are focused on the possible divorce between James and the franchise. Jokic has three years left with the Denver Nuggets, with a $62.8 million player option in the third year. Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, will begin his three-year, $175.3 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, with a $62.7 million player option.

If the stars don’t exercise their player options and their respective teams don’t extend their contracts, they may become free agents in 2027. That could be the Los Angeles Lakers’ window to make a move and offer them a chance to share the court with Doncic.