NBA Insider: Transition To Luka Doncic As Centerpiece Has Strained LeBron James, Lakers

July 23, 2025

LeBron James, Luka Doncic, NBA, Lakers — File photo

Anyone who follows the Los Angeles Lakers knows that Luka Doncic is the future and is the player around whom the franchise is building. And that makes sense.

But that hasn’t made things easy for LeBron James — who at 40 years old is still fantastic — or the Lakers. Just the opposite, actually.

“A lot has changed for LBJ in the last year,” ESPN insider Brian Windhorst wrote on Threads, in response to media star Colin Cowherd. “A year ago the Lakers were offering him a multiyear deal with a player option, drafted and guaranteed (Bronny James) a long-term deal, and LBJ was offering to give up money to work with free agents.”

Now, as Charles Barkley said out loud and most everyone knows, the Lakers are Luka’s team. That has led to some perceived uneasiness between James and the Lakers. For instance, he has yet to mention any of the Lakers’ offseason moves on social media. He did react to at least one involving the Cleveland Cavaliers, though.

James knows what he is doing. But you can make the case that the Lakers have been equally passive-aggressive in their dealings with him.

That said, this is just how it generally goes with aging stars. Still, James isn’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon, Windhorst noted.

“Now Luka is the centerpiece of the franchise and the transition has shocked and strained everyone, and they’re all dealing with the new reality,” Windhorst wrote. “That’s playing out partially in real time and in some public. At the end of the day, I think LBJ wants to be a Laker.”