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LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers very well may be approaching a breakup, and it might have a lot to do with Luka Doncic.
While James and Doncic have long admired each other, the Lakers' treatment of Doncic has reportedly rubbed James, the NBA's oldest player, the wrong way. And it could lead to James finishing his career elsewhere or still in L.A., but just not nearly as happily and content as he likely imagined.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne wrote a recent article detailing the “series of microaggressions” through which the Lakers have “signaled” their change in focus from James, 40, to the 26-year-old Doncic. Among the listed incidents are:
- The Lakers did not give James “significant notice” about their trade for Doncic, which involved his longtime friend, teammate, and fellow Klutch Sports client Anthony Davis.
- L.A. immediately tried to pair Doncic with a center via trade despite James and Davis's multiple requests to do so previously going unheard
- James was not notified of the team's sale before it was announced, while Doncic was told.
- In the “coup de grâce,” according to Shelburne and Windhorst, the Lakers did not offer James an extension despite his ability to opt out this summer or walk for free next offseason.
Since then, and probably as a passive-aggressive response, James has been spotted in Cleveland playing golf, wearing a ‘Welcome Home' hat, and otherwise hinting at his fondness for his hometown, which he largely left in 2018 to sign with the Lakers and build his business empire in Los Angeles.
James has been known to give hints and indirectly express his displeasure in the media, but his agent Rich Paul's comments about needing to reexamine what was best for James immediately after he opted into the final year of his deal were about as direct as James and his representatives get publicly. And it hasn't improved much since; at Summer League, ESPN's Dave McMenamin said he was told by Paul that while James has not requested a trade or even discussed the matter with the Lakers, he did say “four teams contacted him with interest” in acquiring James.
How this will end up is anyone's guess, although a reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers would seem the most fitting — as long as the price is right for the Cavs, who had the best record in the Eastern Conference this past season.
