LeBron James will embrace the Los Angeles Lakers’ franchise-altering roster overhaul and is committed to remaining with the team beyond Thursday afternoon’s NBA trade deadline, according to multiple reports on Sunday, including one from NBA insider Chris Haynes.
The team’s decision to pair James with Luka Doncic is now a go, after the Lakers sent James’ superstar partner Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in a late Saturday trade that shook basketball to its core.
The James-Davis duo earned the franchise an NBA title in 2020, but in four full seasons since, Los Angeles advanced to one Western Conference final in 2023, was eliminated in the first round twice and missed the playoffs completely in 2022.
The Lakers are 28-19 this season and in fifth place in the Western Conference at the start of play Sunday.
James is in the first season of a two-year extension that includes a no-trade clause. He also is playing for the first time with his son Bronny, who has been up and down between the G League and the Lakers this season.
While LeBron James looks like he will see out his seventh season in Los Angeles, the team’s chances of a deep playoff run could be dependent on what other trade additions the Lakers are able to make in the coming days.
While James was close with Davis, by all accounts, he has praised Doncic in the past, calling him his favorite player in a 2022 social media post. Doncic, in turn, has said he idolizes James.
The debut game of the James-Doncic partnership remains unknown. Doncic reportedly is close to returning from a calf injury that occurred on Christmas Day.
Doncic, who turns 26 later this month, is averaging 28.1 points with 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists this season. In seven NBA seasons, the native of Slovenia has averaged 28.6 points with 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 rebounds in 422 games (all starts).
Doncic was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2019 after beginning his career at the age of 19. He has finished in the top eight of MVP voting in each of the past five seasons, with his highest finish of third last season.
James, 40, is scoring 24.0 points with 9.1 assists and 7.6 rebounds in 44 games of his 22nd NBA season. The four-time MVP and four-time champion has averaged 27.0 points with 7.4 assists and 7.5 rebounds in 1,536 career games (1,534 starts).
The Lakers have won six of their past seven games and are 4-1 on a six-game road trip that concludes with a game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday at Inglewood, Calif.
