It has always been about LeBron James for the Los Angeles Lakers ever since the NBA superstar landed with the illustrious franchise seven years ago.
But the Lakers might not be bending over backward for James anymore. They have a new superstar they want to appease, instead.
ESPN's NBA insider Tim Bontemps said on Wednesday's "First Take" that the Lakers are prioritizing Luka Dončić over James when it comes to the team's roster construction going forward.
"The moment the Lakers made that trade, the LeBron James era in Los Angeles ended, and the Luka Dončić era began," Bontemps said. "And everything they've done since then, has been geared toward having a team built around Dončić."
It's probably a smart move for the Lakers to shift their attention more to Dončić than James. Dončić, 26, is their future after acquiring him in a stunning trade with the Dallas Mavericks this past February while it's unclear how many more seasons the 40-year-old James wants to play.
James is about to enter his record-setting 23rd NBA season as on Sunday he exercised his $52.6 million player option, making him a Laker for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign. James wants to still compete for championships, which is always a possibility with the Lakers since they can put him and Dončić on the floor together.
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But James' massive price tag plus the $46 million due to Dončić this season will make it tough to give the star tandem the supporting cast they need to get through a difficult Western Conference. That might force the Lakers to reevaluate things and set their eyes more on the future, which Dončić presumably will be a major part of, and James won't be.
"Everything we're talking about here with LeBron ... the fact that he's on an expiring contract, that's the best thing the Lakers could have because what matters to them is making sure Luka Dončić has his priorities set, not LeBron James," Bontemps said.
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