LeBron James‘s final years as an active professional player in the NBA are coming to an end, and the star and undisputed leader of the Los Angeles Lakers continues to be the face of the Los Angeles project during the last few seasons, although his figure seems endless at times, LeBron is burning the last cartridges of his career.
This is known in the Lakers’s high offices, and it is precisely for this reason that they are looking to get a player who can replace him in the future and continue being a winning and competitive team, with clear aspirations to win the championship of the best basketball league in the world.
According to information released by journalist Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Lakers’s main target is Slovenian and current Dallas Mavericks player Luka Doncic. Doncic is the first name on the list of players that the Los Angeles team hopes to be able to sign in the future.
Age is just a number for LeBron
LeBron James, at 39 years old, is finishing off his career with the Lakers. This year, the veteran will see one of his biggest dreams in life and also as an athlete come true, as he will play alongside his son Bronny James, after the Los Angeles franchise bet on the firstborn of the superstar who recently won Olympic gold in Paris 2024.
The Los Angeles Lakers are thinking long-term and are already analyzing and looking for alternatives to balance the team the day LeBron steps away from the NBA courts. However, it seems that the American star is not weighed down by age at all and is just a number, after having achieved an average of 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game the previous season.
Complex operation: it would entail a very high cost
The future alternative, however, would not be a simple operation at all, but that does not mean it is impossible. Luka Doncic is the Lakers’ main target after this season he scored 33.9 points on average per game, in addition to contributing 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists. The Slovenian was able to lead the Mavericks to the NBA finals against the Boston Celtics where they were defeated and had to watch the team in green celebrate the league title.
Any operation involving a superstar like Luka Doncic is quite complicated. The Slovenian’s involvement with the Mavericks franchise, along with the rather high cost of the transfer, makes the difference between dream and reality quite serious. The Lakers, as the aforementioned journalist pointed out, have not exchanged their future picks in the rookie draft and are already thinking long-term.
The highest-paid player of all time could be the Slovenian
Luka Doncic is also close to being the highest-paid player in NBA history. Next summer, the Slovenian could sign a maximum contract worth $346.3 million for the next five seasons, which would mean that the Lakers would have to negotiate with the Mavericks, taking into account the salary margin left by LeBron James and possibly adding the reserved rounds of the draft.
The possible change of direction in the future of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers could end up being one of the highest financial transactions in the entire history of the league. The Los Angeles franchise is already beginning to prepare for the year in which LeBron decides to put an end to his career, with Luka Doncic being the great bet for the future that revolutionizes the NBA.
