All recent indications show the Los Angeles Lakers are moving forward with Luka Doncic as their franchise player. With the future of LeBron James remaining unknown, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers‘ front office have shifted their focus to the 26-year-old Slovenian now set to lead the team.
As they enter this new era with Doncic at the helm, Los Angeles is reportedly eyeing a move to better help their team reach success. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers are looking at making a trade for a big-name player to put alongside Doncic.
And Doncic’s play (at EuroBasket) was a reminder to the Lakers that there’s no time to wait for the LeBron Era to end before building the Luka one,” McMenamin wrote. And with Doncic signed long term, the Lakers are open to trading for a player on a contract that extends beyond 2026, sources told ESPN.
The Lakers have multiple expiring deals after this season, potentially setting themselves up for more financial flexibility in 2026 and beyond. With the possibility of players like James, Austin Reaves, and other rotational pieces leaving next summer, Pelinka and the franchise could make another historic move to a top player in the league.
Lakers Ready For A Trade
As mentioned, and as reported by McMenamin, the Lakers and Pelinka are willing to do whatever they can to put a winning team around Doncic.
The general tone of the Lakers‘ messages to Doncic’s crew? “‘Hey, whatever we can do to help, we’re here,'” a source close to Doncic told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote.
While much of the Lakers’ support for Doncic this summer came during EuroBasket, the front office has remained steadfast that they are willing to flip their roster if it means a better shot at a Finals run.
“If there are smart ways to pour into our championship aspirations for next year, we will execute on those,” Pelinka reportedly said to McMenamin. “And we see having those two players on our team next year [as] an important moment, and we’ll continue to try to do all we can to deliver this franchise its 18th championship.”
James is entering the final season of his contract with the team, clouding potential plans for Pelinka and the front office. And though trading away one of the best players in the history of the sport would be nothing short of groundbreaking, Pelinka didn’t rule that out.
“We’ve talked about the importance of having optionality and when I use that word, it’s not to say in the future. I think optionality is also in the now,” Pelinka said. Having both Luka as arguably the best player on the planet and LeBron James, who is still in the mix of being one of the great players in our game, even at his age, continues to allow us to think carefully about the value of that optionality.
“I mean, it’s LeBron.” 😅
The Lakers made the blockbuster trade for Doncic, meaning they aren’t afraid to take a risk like that again.
Luka Doncic Felt The Team’s Support Over The Summer
The Lakers making a trade for a big-name player requires Doncic to be ‘all in’ on the team, and so far, that has been the case. Even after signing a three-year, $165 million extension with the franchise over the summer, the Slovenian has continuously given praise to the team.
The support from the Lakers organization and Laker Nation [was] amazing,” Doncic said about the team spending time with him during the EuroBasket tournament. It meant so much to me that Rob, Jeanie, Kurt, Linda and Dr. Sims came to Poland and that Lakers fans were watching EuroBasket and cheering for Slovenia.
Many were worried about Doncic’s participation in the competition, but after his historic performance and leaving with no serious injuries, both he and the team thought it was a good ramp-up for the Lakers’ upcoming season. McMenamin wrote that team sources said they were ‘impressed with how Doncic was moving compared with how he played in the second half of last season.’
“Players playing basketball in the offseason is something that, from a leadership standpoint, I support,” Pelinka added. “Luka’s play in EuroBasket made it clear to the entire basketball world that he’s on that incredibly short list of ‘best player on the planet’ candidates, if not at the top.”
While Doncic missed a stretch of last season due to injury, the Lakers are hopeful his weight loss and body transformation will help quell his health concerns. As they wait for a trade possibility to open up, the Lakers’ newest franchise superstar is ready to lead the team to a title.
“He stresses every single day that his goal is to win a championship,” a source close to Doncic told ESPN. “He trusts the front office to do their part, and he trusts what they’re building.”
Lakers Eyeing Trade In Post-LeBron Plan For Luka Doncic: Report