Latest news with #post-James
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shams Charania Makes LeBron James Revelation As 'Hard Conversations' Await Lakers
Shams Charania Makes LeBron James Revelation As 'Hard Conversations' Await Lakers originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Regardless of where he has played in his legendary NBA career, fans and analysts are always scrutinizing LeBron James' next move. As one of the most consequential and heralded players in the history of basketball, James is used to having the spotlight shine directly on him, and that will not change in light of his agent's latest declaration about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers. Advertisement Rich Paul confirmed that his client will exercise his $52.6 million player option to return to the Lakers in 2025-26, but a subsequent statement has left James in limbo. Paul explained that James wants to compete for a championship in what may well be his final NBA season – and left the door open to a possible bombshell trade as the Lakers continue to build for a post-James future around Luka Doncic. "We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career," Paul told ESPN's Shams Charania. "He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him." Advertisement During a Monday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Charania shed more light on the situation. The NBA insider explained that James is not asking for an extension or even continued recognition as the face of the franchise. But at 40, James wants a legitimate shot at a fifth championship ring. And he is unsure whether Los Angeles continues to suit him in that regard. "From what I've gathered, LeBron James understands where the Lakers are at: Luka Doncic is the face of the franchise for the next five to 10 years," Charania said. Charania explained that James will closely monitor the Lakers' efforts to acquire a wing and a center this summer, and only then will he determine whether the Lakers are good enough to compete for a championship following a first-round exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves in April. Advertisement "Depending on how the Lakers' free agency period goes, what they're able to do in free agency, I think those are hard conversations they're going to have next week, the week after that and at some point in July," Charania told McAfee. Related: New Report on LeBron James to Mavericks Trade Possibility This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lakers' Stance on Potentially Trading Luka Doncic Revealed by NBA Analyst
Lakers' Stance on Potentially Trading Luka Doncic Revealed by NBA Analyst originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Dallas Mavericks shocked the sports world in February when they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Advertisement The blockbuster trade came out of nowhere, as no one knew Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison no longer wanted to build around Doncic, the 26-year-old superstar who has already made five All-NBA First Teams. Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists with the Lakers in the regular season after the Mavericks traded him. The future Hall of Famer then put up 30.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the 2025 playoffs. However, despite having Doncic and NBA legend LeBron James, the Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of this year's playoffs in five games. Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on during a Johnson-Imagn Images Los Angeles may need to make some trades this offseason to become a true title contender. However, don't expect Doncic to be traded, writes Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report. Advertisement "In Doncic, the Lakers have a bridge to their post-James era. He'll be the superstar cornerstone upon which the franchise's next decade is built," Hughes wrote. "The only way that'll change is if Harrison's justification for moving Doncic this past February — poor conditioning and shoddy defense — reaches a point where Los Angeles winds up with the same concerns. "Of course, if you view the trade from Dallas to L.A. as a wake-up call for Doncic, it's pretty hard to imagine his bad habits continuing." Los Angeles can sign Doncic to a four-year, $229 million contract starting on Aug. 2. Doncic will make $46 million next season. He has a player option worth $48.9 million for the 2026-27 season. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka told local reporters during his end-of-season press conference that he's looking forward to building around Doncic for the foreseeable future. Advertisement "It's incredibly exciting to have the promise of him in our next decade of Laker basketball with being able to build a team around him and him being at the center of our franchise," Pelinka said. "Our partnership with him has been incredible. We're appreciative and grateful and can't wait to get to the work, really starting today, of getting ready for next year." Related: Former LeBron James Teammate Delivers Verdict on GOAT Debate With Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Luka Doncic Predicted to Sign Short-Term Extension With Lakers
Luka Doncic Predicted to Sign Short-Term Extension With Lakers originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Dallas Mavericks shocked the sports world in February when they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The blockbuster deal paired Doncic with NBA legend LeBron James. Advertisement Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists with the Lakers in the regular season after the Mavericks traded him. The future Hall of Famer then put up 30.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the 2025 playoffs. Despite Doncic putting up stellar numbers, though, the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in the first round in five games. The 26-year-old Doncic will make $45.9 million next season. The superstar is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Lakers after the 2025 NBA Finals conclude and ESPN's Bobby Marks expects that to happen. Los Angeles Lakers star Luka DoncicKevin Jairaj-Imagn Images It's worth mentioning, though, that Marks expects Doncic to sign a short-term extension with the Lakers instead of the four-year deal he's eligible to sign starting on August 2. Advertisement "A four-year, $229 million max, where the $51 million first-year salary for 2026-27 replaces the player option for that season," Marks wrote. "And, more likely: a three-year, $165 million extension that includes a player option in the third year. "The short-term extension would allow Doncic to reenter free agency sooner and potentially recoup the $345 million he lost when he was traded from the Mavericks. Doncic, for his part, confirmed to ESPN's Malika Andrews in an interview before the postseason that his intention is to remain with the Lakers. "But while there should be confidence in Doncic extending, showing him what a post-James roster could look like is a major priority. What to expect: Doncic signs a three-year, $165 million deal with a player option for 2028-29." Doncic has career averages of 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists with the Mavericks and Lakers. He has made five All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams. Related: Lakers' Stance on Potentially Trading Luka Doncic Revealed by NBA Analyst This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
11-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Laker says JJ Redick reminds him of a legendary coach
Former Laker says JJ Redick reminds him of a legendary coach When the Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick to be their head coach last June, many people doubted he could do the job in a satisfactory manner. After all, he had never held any type of coaching job at either the pro or college level, and the fact that he had co-hosted the "Mind the Game" podcast with LeBron James created even more doubts. But Redick, for the most part, did a fine job this season, especially considering the twists and turns the Lakers went through. There is now hope that he will have the ability to stick around long-term and lead the team into the post-James era. When the Lakers were courting Redick for the job, they reportedly saw him as someone who could turn out to be like Pat Riley, the legendary coach of their Showtime teams from the 1980s. At the time, that seemed like a ludicrous comparison, but Mychal Thompson, who played for Riley on those Lakers teams, said on the podcast of former teammate Michael Cooper that he feels it could be an apt comparison now. 'They do remind me of each other,' Thompson told former teammate Michael Cooper on CLNS. 'They are very arrogant in their knowledge of the game, they are demanding, they treat you like men, as long as you are accountable, they are very intense, the way they approach the game. [Redick] does remind me of a young Pat Riley. 'Can he achieve Pat Riley's success? I hope he does. I've said on the air before his style reminds me of Riles a little bit.' Much like Riley, Redick emphasizes attention to detail, right down to the tracking of very detailed statistics. He has brought an emphasis on organization and purpose, which is certainly Riley-like, and his intensity, emotion and chutzpah are also Riley-like. Like Riley, Redick also has two legitimate superstars in LeBron James and Luka Doncic, as well as a third stellar player in Austin Reaves. The Lakers do need a legitimate starting-level center, as well as better guard and wing depth, but if they fix those issues this offseason, Redick could have the opportunity to truly remind people of Riley as soon as next season.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
LeBron James' pep talk for Luka Dončić had an awkward connection to Kevin Love
Luka Dončić made his long-awaited Los Angeles Lakers debut on Monday and no one was more ready to see it than his new teammate LeBron James. As the Lakers huddled up before the team, James gave his usual pep talk and singled out Dončić, telling the 25-year-old, "Luka, be your f***ing self. Don't fit in, fit the f*** out. Be yourself." The Lakers went on to dominate the Utah Jazz, with Dončić scoring 14 points. "Luka, be your f---ing self. Don't fit in, fit the f--- out."-LeBron to Luka 🗣️ — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 11, 2025 James' message to Dončić was a cool moment for most people, with one notable exception. NBA fans with strong memories might remember that James and Kevin Love had some issues getting on the same page during their first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, so much so that James posted one of the most obvious subtweets in NBA history. The message: don't fit out, just fit in. Ergo, the exact opposite of what James said to Dončić. Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be apart of something special! Just my thoughts — LeBron James (@KingJames) February 8, 2015 Love definitely didn't enjoy that message at the time and still wasn't happy about it a few years later, calling it "extremely passive aggressive and silly," while conceding he did have to make some changes. Time has apparently healed this wound, at least, as Love, now playing with the Miami Heat, humorously pointed out the difference on Instagram with the hashtag "#LeHurtMyFeelings." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Love (@kevinlove) The Lakers acquired Dončić earlier this month in perhaps the most shocking trade in NBA history, and the reaction has been what you would expect in the two markets most affected. Los Angeles is elated to receive a young top 5 player who can guide them in their post-James era, while Dallas is seething to the point that fans are getting kicked out of the arena amid increased security for the Mavericks. The trade has become no better for Dallas in the week since it was executed. The Lakers still haven't lost a game since the move, while Davis is already out multiple weeks due to an adductor strain.
