Lakers Reportedly Have ‘Sights Set’ On Mavericks’ Luka Doncic as LeBron James Replacement

The Los Angeles Lakers still have superstar LeBron James on the roster for at least another season. The legendary forward agreed to a new contract with Los Angeles this offseason, keeping him with the team for next year.

He holds a player option for the 2025-26 season, potentially his last in the NBA. James has hinted at retirement in each of the last few seasons as he approaches the age of 40.

James is still one of the better players in the NBA despite his advanced age, but the Lakers need to start thinking about the post-James era. They still have co-star Anthony Davis on the books for multiple more seasons, but they will need to add more talent alongside him.

It seems that the Lakers may be thinking ahead already.

While on The Ringer NBA YouTube Channel, insider Kevin O’Connor reported that the Lakers are looking to swing for the fences once James retires. They reportedly have their sights set on adding Dallas Mavericks star guard Luka Dončić.

“I’ve reported on this podcast and on The Ringer how they have their sights set for Luka [Dončić] in the future,” The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor said Friday during The Mismatch (0:50 mark). “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.”

Adding Dončić would create a strong one-two punch alongside Davis and keep the Lakers in title contention for years after James leaves. However, prying him from Dallas could be an issue.

The Mavericks just went to the NBA Finals this past season and have surrounded Dončić with a strong supporting cast. But if the Mavericks falter again, Dončić could start to look elsewhere.

He has three more years on his current contract with the Mavericks, including a player option for $48 million in the final season. If Dončić were to tell the Mavericks that he won’t sign an extension with them, Dallas would have no choice but to trade him.

Los Angeles has kept its 2029 and 2031 picks this summer, potentially for if a deal like this were to become a reality. They could entice the Mavericks with a draft pick deal to land Doncic. Or if Dallas called the bluff of Dončić, Los Angeles could try to land him in free agency.

The Lakers have always been about landing star players, and Dončić would add to that fact. While it remains unlikely that Los Angeles will be able to get Dončić, nothing in the NBA can be completely ignored.

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