When the news broke that the Los Angeles Lakers had traded Anthony Davis and more to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for superstar Luka Doncic, one of the first questions circulating was about how LeBron James might react. General manager Rob Pelinka dealt away one of James’ best friends and a Klutch Sports co-star without any warning, leading some to believe that James might want out.
Those rumors were squashed somewhat quickly, when it was reported that — at the very least — James would not be requesting a trade prior to Thursday’s deadline. But there remained some unanswered questions about LeBron’s reaction to the deal other than pure shock.
James emphatically answered those questions after L.A.’s win over the Clippers on Tuesday night. He was asked if he has an issue with the team making a move that better serves the future than the present.
“What’s wrong with that?” James asked.
The follow-up was if the Lakers trading for Doncic and pushing chips more towards the future changes his calculus on wanting to be a Laker for the rest of his career. Again, James was swift and decisive in his response.
“If I had concerns about it, I’d waive my no-trade clause and get up out of here. I’m here right now. I’m here right now. I’m committed to the Lakers organization. As the leader of the team, as one of the captains of the team, it’s my job to make it as seamless as possible [for the new acquisitions].”
With as much power as LeBron has both contractually and with his off-court influence, it’s safe to assume that if he is playing somewhere, it’s because he wants to be. And if he is gearing up towards an exit, he is still going to give his current team his all as long as he’s playing there.
Hopefully, this moment ends the conversation around James’ commitment to L.A. until at least the summer, when all sides can re-evaluate and determine what they want to do moving forward.
LeBron James thinks playing with Luka Doncic will be special
LeBron James has played with some of the NBA’s greatest players, but he might be teaming up with the best of the bunch in Luka Doncic.
Doncic didn’t suit up against the Clippers on Tuesday night but was on the bench to support James and his new teammates.
After the Lakers won, James discussed what playing with Doncic will be like and broke down their similar play styles.
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