According to NBA insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers feared LeBron James could request a trade since they didn’t talk to him about the Luka Doncic–Anthony Davis deal.
The Lakers traded Davis and Max Christie to the Dallas Mavericks for Doncic on February 1. LeBron was at dinner with family and friends when he found out about the trade, which happened a few hours after Los Angeles defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Davis and LeBron are close friends. They also have the same agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group.
However, LeBron never thought about leaving the Lakers since Doncic is his favorite young player in the NBA. While LeBron was sad to see Davis go, he was also excited to play with Doncic.
The leading scorer of all time, LeBron has a no-trade clause in his contract. He’s expected to retire with the Lakers, who are title contenders this season with Doncic, LeBron and Austin Reaves leading the way.
Los Angeles (42-25) is currently in fourth place in the rugged Western Conference.
LeBron is averaging 25.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists this season while shooting 51.7% from the floor, 38.4% from beyond the arc and 77.0% from the free-throw line. He’s the oldest player in the NBA at 40 years old.
The Lakers are 8-3 when LeBron and Doncic are in the lineup. The two future Hall of Famers already have tremendous chemistry on the basketball court.
Doncic has appeared in 15 games with the Lakers. He’s averaging 26.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists with the purple and gold.
The Lakers can offer Doncic a four-year, $229 million extension this summer, or, like other teams, a five-year, $296 million contract in the summer of 2026.
Doncic was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million extension with the Mavericks this summer. According to The Athletic, Dallas wasn’t going to offer Doncic the supermax extension.
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