LeBron James shuts down talk of 'concerns' after Luka Doncic trade

When asked if he still sees himself finishing his career as a Laker, the 40-year-old said he's "here right now" and is committed to helping Doncic make a seamless transition to his new team.

James also expressed excitement about sharing the court with Doncic. 

"Luka's been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now," James said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I think you guys know that. And I've always just tried to play the game the right way and inspire the next generation. And Luka happens to be one of them. And now, we're teammates. So, it'll be a very seamless transition."

Analysts such as Charles Barkley and Vince Carter have raised concerns about the Doncic-James pairing from an Xs and Os standpoint. It's no secret that Doncic and James prefer to operate with the ball in their hands and aren't known for their off-ball skills. 

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue disagrees with the notion that James and Doncic can't coexist. After his team's loss on Tuesday, Lue — who coached James for several years in Cleveland — compared the James-Doncic pairing to the James-Kyrie Irving duo that captured a championship in 2016. 

"I don't see it's going to be a problem at all," Lue said of the Doncic-James duo. "[Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] will do a good job of staggering those guys, kind of like we did with Kyrie [Irving] and LeBron for three quarters and then close games together. It's not a tough problem to have."

Lakers fans could get a first glimpse of Doncic and James as teammates imminently. Doncic, dealing with a calf strain, is widely expected to make his Lakers debut against the Jazz on Monday. Doncic has already acclimatized himself with his new teammates. The Slovenian was on the Lakers bench for Tuesday's game.