Final 2024-25
-
Record: 50-32 (third in the West, lost to the Timberwolves in the first round)
Off-season moves
-
Additions: Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia
-
Subtractions: Dorian Finney-Smith, Jordan Goodwin, Shake Milton
Luka Dončić signed an extension with the Lakers this offseason. (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
The big question: Can LeBron be the co-superstar Luka needs?
It’s beyond cool that 40-year-old LeBron James, one of the greatest players in history, is on the same roster as Luka Dončić, one of the most decorated young players the NBA has ever seen. It’s impossible not to think of your Lakers as a great team, if only because in our opinion they are both very good.
Advertisement
If they make practical sense as championship The duo is another matter. James currently suffers from sciatica on his right side, which will cost him the start of the season. This isn’t news that inspires much confidence in James’ ability to hold up his end of the bargain between two max-paid co-stars.
(Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7)
Meanwhile, Dončić is a 26-year-old who appears to be in the best shape of his life. It makes sense to build around one. The other? At some point soon, if not now, he’ll hope his career doesn’t take a nosedive. As difficult as it may be, the Lakers have to consider whether it’s wise to spend more of Dončić’s money investing in the possibility that James can still be who Dončić needs him to be.
James is no longer the defensive stalwart he once was, not even close, and Dončić has never been known for his defense. Offensively, there’s also a lot of overlap between their abilities as ball-dominant superstars. There is reason for skepticism and for asking: can they still maximize each other?
Advertisement
Of course, they’re also two of the greatest offensive minds the game has ever seen, and they’ll figure a lot out. They will win a lot of games, as long as James recovers, but can they win a title?
The defense is an obstacle to that objective. Their third best player, Austin Reaves, is not an obstacle. Neither is Deandre Ayton. The Lakers signed former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, but at 31 years old he hasn’t shown the same dynamism with the ball that he once did. This will be a porous defensive team. They ranked 17th in that aspect last season and lost Dorian Finney-Smith, their best defensive player.
Remember: Dončić and James took the court together in the first round of last season’s playoffs, losing in five games as favorites to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles did little to address their fatal flaw.
Advertisement
The Dallas Mavericks built a team of two-way talent around Dončić and Kyrie Irving to reach the 2024 NBA Finals. The Lakers will eventually have to do the same with Dončić in Los Angeles, but they haven’t. Reaves and Ayton have a lot of potential between them, but little on the defensive end.
In the case of Dončić, there is time to solve this problem. He is entering his prime and signed a three-year, $160.8 million contract extension. James doesn’t have any of those luxuries. He’ll turn 41 in December, his contract expires at the end of this season and we have no idea when Father Time will come for James.
If, indeed, it becomes clear that this roster is not one with which Dončić can win a championship, what will the Lakers do? Do they try to reconfigure it around Dončić and James on the fly in the narrow window they have together, trading 27-year-old Reaves and draft picks for two-way contributors?
This has a real chance of backfiring. If desperate measures are taken, the Lakers could easily find themselves in a post-LeBron era without any flexibility in the trade market, trying to build a competitive team around Dončić. If we take a step back, the plan becomes much clearer: focus on Dončić, now.
Advertisement
(Get more Lakers news: Los Angeles team feed)
Build around him the same way you would a young James, and you know what a young James would do? Trade the 40-year-old superstar whose $52.6 million salary is an impediment to building a starting team around his best player. That, or let him walk into free agency at the end of the season, freeing up the kind of cap space that could be committed to a more age-appropriate playing partner in Los Angeles.
After all, this is Los Angeles and these are the Lakers. Someone will want to accompany Dončić on this trip.
It’s unclear if James wants to be that guy, as his agent, Rich Paul, issued the following cryptic statement in June: “We understand the difficulty of winning now while preparing for the future. We want to evaluate what is best for LeBron at this stage of his life and career. He wants to make every remaining season count, and the Lakers understand that, support him and want the best for him.”
Advertisement
What’s best for James may not be what’s best for Dončić, and the Lakers will soon have to choose sides. What that will look like in the short term is anyone’s guess, but one of its superstars is just beginning its story in Los Angeles, while the other is scripting its ending. Threading the needle between them can be a fool’s errand.
The best of cases
The skinny Luka Dončić is the favorite for MVP. James remains healthy and fit when he returns and in the playoffs. Smart is the Smart of yesteryear and wreaks havoc on both ends of the floor. Ayton is back to being the player he was for the Phoenix Suns, anchoring a contender. The Lakers find some gems among the hodgepodge of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Jake LaRavia, Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber and Jarred Vanderbilt. And they are capable of challenging anyone in the West (and, as such, anyone in the league) in a seven-game series. After all, these are LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
If everything falls apart
It’s immediately clear that this version of the Lakers, the one with defensive holes throughout its roster, is not a contender. JJ Redick can’t coach this team. James recognizes this and makes it known through his intermediaries. He wants out, the Lakers admit, it’s just hard to find a team that a) wants to acquire a 40-year-old at max salary and b) is willing to give up real assets to get him. Chemistry wears thin and the Lakers fail to make the playoffs in a crowded Western Conference. Back to square one at the end of the season, which isn’t a bad place when Dončić is the starting point.
Calendar 2025-26
-
season opening: October 21 vs. Golden State
At some point the wheels come off. At some point, James will no longer be able to meet the demands of a maximum salary. Perhaps we have already reached that point. And, man, that defense is going to be tough. Sink.
More season previews
This: Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards
Advertisement
West: Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • Los Angeles Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz