This is how things go in Lakers nation: LeBron James signed a two-year, $104 million contract to return to the Lakers in July and just more than a month later speculation has started on what stars the Lakers will go after next.
Enter Luka Doncic, who led the Mavericks to the Finals in June and has two guaranteed seasons plus a player’s option remaining on his current deal. Doncic, by all reports, is as happy as he has been in Dallas, leading a team that not only was playing last June but is set up as well as anyone in the West to make a return trip or two in the coming years.
Two years is an eternity in the NBA, so the Lakers are going to keep their eye on him, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor said during a recent episode of his podcast “The Mismatch.”
“I’ve reported on this podcast and on The Ringer how [the Lakers] have their sights set for Luka. We’ll see if that works out. Dallas just made a Finals, Dallas is looking better than ever with their supporting cast. That may not work out, but the Lakers by not trading their future picks clearly are still thinking long-term at this point. They’re not going all in like you might expect many teams to do with James.”
Let’s break this one down using bullet points.
• Of course the Lakers are watching Doncic. A year ago, every team in the league was watching the relationship between Doncic and the Mavericks to see if things might start to break apart.
• Now, things are going smoothly in Dallas on all fronts: Kyrie Irving seems happy and meshes with Doncic, the addition of Derrick Lively — who looks like an ideal big to pair with Doncic — has been seamless, and they made a trip to the Finals. Because of all that, other front offices have turned their eyes elsewhere. Doncic would prefer to stay in Dallas if the team is competitive and things now are as good as they have been, league sources told NBC Sports. He’s far more likely to extend with the Mavericks than leave.
• All that will not end the speculation.
• Doncic will not be the only superstar the Lakers are monitoring. This is the reality of the NBA. There are, at any given moment, maybe 10 true franchise cornerstone, “we can win a title with that guy as our best player” guys in the league, and other teams always have one eye on all of them. Just in case situations change.
• If one of those superstars starts looking around, can the Lakers lure that player to Los Angeles? Will they have a good enough trade package to make his current team happy and still have enough of a core that this superstar wants to come because he can contend? They are the Lakers, and that comes with advantages — the brand, the fan base, and the city where players want to live — but ask the Knicks of a decade ago the city and brand alone are enough.
• When LeBron retires, part of the plan is to have Anthony Davis become the face of the franchise, the future Hall of Famer with the rings and gold medals. However, Davis is not a ball-handling shot creator, and the Lakers will need to pair him with a superstar who can set him up as LeBron often has. Those players are in short supply.
• O’Conner’s assertion that the Lakers are holding on to their picks is true — GM Rob Pelinka knows he gets one swing at this. He’s waiting for the right pitch. That does not mean he’s waiting for Donic (or Giannis Antetokounmpo, or Nikola Jokic, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or whoever) to shake free, but he’s not going to give his limited picks and trade resources for an overpriced role player. He’s trying to be patient.
• LeBron turns 40 in December. Pelinka can only be so patient. Plenty of Lakers fans think he’s already been too patient.
