Are the Lakers ignoring LeBron?
The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the most stunning trades in recent NBA history by acquiring Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline this past season.
Could they realistically top that with a Nikola Jokić coup?
Jokić is exactly the type of dream-casting the Lakers have always done. And they have a surprisingly consistent track record of landing many of the league's all-time greats.
The Lakers seem to have shifted their philosophy from trying to squeeze one more title out of James to building long-term around Dončić. LeBron James, who will turn 41 in December, is the oldest player in the NBA. Dončić is 15 years younger than him.
The Lakers are always star-chasing. Losing a quality role player like Dorian Finney-Smith, who recently agreed to a long-term deal with the Houston Rockets, may hardly register when the franchise is trying to map out a path to a superstar like Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić.
Can the Lakers successfully lure the three-time MVP away from Denver? Here's how they might try to do it.
Not the MVP, But Nikola Jokić May Be Best in NBA
Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the regular-season and Finals MVP awards this year. But in the Western Conference, Jokić and the Denver Nuggets fought OKC as well as anyone in the playoffs.
SGA was a deserving MVP this season, but Jokić could win it just about every year. He's finished in the top two of voting for the award in each of the past five years, and he's fresh off arguably his best statistical season.
Jokić averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game, becoming only the third player in NBA history (and the first center) to average a triple-double across an entire season, while shooting a career-high 41.7 percent from three-point range.
Mulling a Post-LeBron Future
LeBron James was the best player in the NBA for most of his 20-year career. He remains one of the league's top box-office draws in arenas and on TV. East Coast fans are more likely to watch the late-night game when James is on the court.
The Lakers have been clear that James will stay with them for as long as he desires, but the actions this summer suggest a different story.
James did not decline his $52.6 million player option, which would typically be a no-brainer. Why wouldn't he opt out to re-sign on a two-year deal with a player option on the second season?
There's little chance he didn't ask for it. From the agent side of the equation, that makes no sense.
The reality is that the Lakers are willing to let James finish out this year. The time to start building without James taking up between $50-60 million of the Lakers' salary cap is the summer of 2026.
According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Lakers "exercised discipline" in their negotiations with Dorian Finney-Smith "to preserve cap space for 2027," which is when Jokić can become an unrestricted free agent.
At this early stage of the offseason, it appears that neither James nor the Lakers have attempted to initiate a breakup. However, the possibility exists that James wants to return home to the Cleveland Cavaliers via a complex, multi-team trade.
Are the Lakers willing to waste two years of Dončić's career, including one with James, to wait for Jokić to become a free agent in 2027? What of the "2027 plan" that seems to be buzzing around the Lakers faniverse?
The goal would be to leverage cap room available in 2027. Should Denver falter this season and Jokić find himself disillusioned with the Nuggets' direction, he could do what most NBA stars do when they're unhappy—force a trade.
Given that he can opt out of his contract after 2026-27, the threat of finishing out his deal and leaving for the Lakers—who could have the spending power in 2027 to sign him outright as a free agent, leaving Denver with nothing—is why there's a 2027 plan at all.
The hope is that Jokić's bond with Dončić is why he picks the Lakers. Denver would get most of what the Lakers have in terms of young players and draft compensation.
Austin Reaves has a low enough cap hold as a free agent that L.A. could absorb Jokić into cap room, then pay Reaves over $30 million per season while retaining Dončić. Then Dončić would theoretically sign an extension with the Lakers when he becomes eligible in August.
Is this a viable plan? The obvious answer is "not at all." Then again, the Lakers did land Dončić, just as they landed Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Pau Gasol, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain in different but similar ways.
From the Lakers' point of view, if trading for Jokić doesn't work out, they'll just shift to Giannis Antetokounmpo instead.
A Potential Plot Twist
The opposite side of the coin has the Nuggets similarly keeping tabs on Dončić.
Jokić does have a strong relationship with the Lakers' star. The thinking is that Dončić isn't the kind of player who prioritizes living in a big city like Los Angeles. Even if Dončić does sign an extension this offseason, Denver might be able to jump in at the right time should Dončić eventually become unhappy in L.A.
The Nuggets recently hired former Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Barea as an assistant coach. He earned the position on many levels, but he is also close with Dončić, just as Dorian Finney-Smith was. The Lakers didn't show Finney-Smith the same respect this summer, as they weren't willing to surpass what the Houston Rockets gave him.
The Nuggets may not have as many titles as the Lakers, but the basketball attraction between Dončić and Jokić as teammates works both ways. The Nuggets may not have the draft compensation now to make that kind of deal, but in a few years, perhaps they will find a way to stock up.
What Does It All Mean for the Lakers Today?
The Nuggets are making moves to improve this offseason. They traded Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 fully unprotected first-round pick for Cam Johnson, flipped Dario Šarić for Jonas Valančiūnas, brought back Bruce Brown Jr. in free agency and agreed to sign Tim Hardaway Jr. to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal as well.
Meanwhile, the Lakers agreed to a deal to add Jake LaRavia and are acquiring the draft rights to Adou Thiero (No. 36) to replace Finney-Smith. They still haven't found a center, which they could still address via free agency (Deandre Ayton?) or through a trade. Some of the theoretical trade candidates could include Walker Kessler, Nick Richards, Nikola Vučević and Robert Williams III.
All of them have short contracts, whereas Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton is under contract for three more seasons at $69.4 million. That sort of long-term deal may not fit in this pipe dream for Jokić.
Whether the Lakers are being unrealistic or are heading down the path to their next Dončić-like blockbuster doesn't matter. The decisions made will be from L.A.'s point of view, not the naysayers'.
Depending on LaRavia's exact starting salary, the Lakers still project to have roughly $8-8.5 million of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception available. If they waive Shake Milton's fully non-guaranteed $3 million contract, they can also use their $5.1 million bi-annual exception to get to 14 players. Either way, they'll be hard-capped at the $195.9 million first apron. They could then sign a 15th player to a minimum contract, although he may need to take a slight discount or wait to sign until about one week into the season.
The Lakers could explore trades of Maxi Kleber, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and/or Dalton Knecht to shed salary and give themselves more flexibility under the first apron. But don't expect them to add significant salary unless they feel it could be an asset in chasing Jokić if (when) the time comes.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X @EricPincus and Bluesky.
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02/07/2025
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