Things seem to be shifting in Los Angeles. Since the Lakers’ surprise acquisition of Luka Doncic in February, the team has boasted two superstar players and the general consensus is that they’ll be real title contenders soon. With both LeBron James and Luka on the roster, it’s hard to believe otherwise. That said, the Lakers themselves could have other plans.
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The 17-time NBA champs’ quiet free agency has some analysts speculating that the guard is changing. They report that the franchise may no longer be prioritizing LeBron’s championship window.
Tim Legler also believes the Lakers are now in rebuild mode rather than win-now mode, arguing that their trade for Doncic was more about future plans than immediate results. With an aging James and Anthony Davis previously on their roster, the team had been under pressure to make moves that would lead to instant success. But now, with Luka, who’s only 26, Legler thinks the Lakers might be willing to overlook the next couple of years in order to build a team better suited for sustained success in the late 2020s.
Speaking to Adam Mares on the All-NBA podcast, the former Bullets guard said that the Lakers’ Luka trade was the first step in their plan to slowly prepare for life without LeBron. “When they made the trade, if you recall, go back to when this trade went down. And I said it at the time, everything about it was about the next 5 to 7 to 10 years for the Lakers,” he said.
Luka’s arrival essentially pulled the Lakers out of the panic-driven “win-now” mode they were in with James and Davis, both aging stars. Luka is six years younger than Davis and a full 14 years younger than LeBron. He’s just entering his prime, and according to Legs, the Lakers are beginning to sideline James and gradually position Luka as the new centerpiece of the franchise.
“The second they made the trade, it was no longer about (LeBron) at all. That is just a fortunate byproduct if it happens. It’s not the thinking of the organization anymore,” he added. “This is about Luka, and what you put around him for the next 5 to 7 to 10 years. That’s the next iteration of the Lakers.”
Legs also added that he doesn’t see the Lakers as legitimate contenders for the next couple of years—essentially putting an end to LeBron’s chase for that elusive fifth title. He reflected on the team’s run with the 40-year-old and suggested that the Lakers believe they’ve done all they can to maximize the King’s time in purple and gold.
