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NBA analyst Charles Barkley highlighted the critical difference between Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James and Luka Doncic ahead of their first full campaign as teammates. Amid speculation over what the team could look like in the near future, regarding James' future with the Lakers beyond next season, Barkley revealed his take on Los Angeles' star tandem.
Barkley explained why the Lakers are Doncic's team, as they enter into a new era for their franchise, and James enters the final season of his two-year extension, worth $52.6 million, per Yahoo Sports.
“[LeBron James is] on the downside of his career. It's Luka's [Doncic] team going forward,” Barkley said. “But hey, they got bigger problems than those guys. They got to worry about the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets, and the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers are gonna have a good team. But everything in the West start with OKC, the Houston Rockets, and the Denver Nuggets.”
Considering James' style of play, Charles Barkley says it's easy to see why the Lakers will approach 2025-26 with the ball in Doncic's hands amid a changing of the guard.
“It's easy for LeBron because LeBron can play without the ball,” Barkley said. “When you're a great player and they bring other great players, you have to learn to play without the ball. Luka has a big advantage because Luka has to play with the ball. LeBron's such a great player that he can play without the ball. That's one of the reasons why they had such a seamless transition.”
"[LeBron James is] on the downside of his career. It's Luka's [Doncic] team going forward. But hey, they got bigger problems than those guys."
Charles Barkley on James' place within the Lakers 🗣️
(via @YahooSports)pic.twitter.com/mGJTpM0eLB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 14, 2025
While James is entering the final season of his deal, some anticipate his possibly demanding a trade at the first sign of trouble.
Rich Paul sounds off on LeBron James, Lakers trade speculation
Lakers All-Star LeBron James' agent Rich Paul addressed Luka Doncic and the Lakers amid trade speculation. Paul addressed the many narratives surrounding James, Doncic, and the Lakers, while making it clear there's no malice the two stars.
Paul discussed why he doesn't deem it necessary to even address the topic, but did it anyway, per SiriusXM Radio.
“There's so many voices in today's game and around today's game, and media and things like that,” Paul said. “And everyone has a job to do. For us, hey, let those people do their job. It's not for us to rebuttal or to try to give clarity on what's said, what's not said, that's not the focus. The focus is, hey man, enjoy your summer.”
"It's not for us to rebuttal or to try to give clarity on what's said, what's not said, that's not the focus. The focus is, hey man, enjoy your summer."
Rich Paul on the media speculation about LeBron James' situation with the Lakers.
(via @SiriusXMNBA)pic.twitter.com/XBzWJfy5JW
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 14, 2025
It'll be interesting to see if the Lakers pull off any more trades between now and the start of training camp.
