The Luka Dončić-LeBron James will immediately rank among the league’s most talented twosomes. That does not, however, mean the franchise made this trade with that in mind.
Rather, L.A. seemingly seized an opportunity that comes along, at most, once in a lifetime. In the process, the Lakers unequivocally brightened their future but perhaps dimmed their present. Dončić and James are an awkward on-court fit, the center rotation is wholly underwhelming and the perimeter defense might be nonexistent.
The Lakers could, of course, attack some of those issues between now and the deadline, but they are reportedly “focused…on building for the future even more so than they are for the present,” per The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie.
It’s the right strategy to employ, even if seems a bit counterintuitive with the 40-year-old James still holding such a prominent place within the organization. The Lakers can poke around for short-term upgrades, but additional wholesale changes shouldn’t be made until this offseason at the earliest.
Read the full article here
