Exec: Lakers Didn't Just For Luka Doncic, They Also Traded For More Engaged LeBron James

[RealGM Wiretap]

LeBron James was playing at an All-NBA level even before the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, but he has elevated his play even further since adding another superstar who takes on a larger role in the offense and allows him to pace himself and play off-ball as a cutter more frequently. 

"They didn't just trade for Luka," the league exec said. "They also traded for a more engaged LeBron."

James has also played more consistently on defense. The Lakers are the NBA's No. 1 defense since Jan. 15, which is a considerable turnaround compared to the first 30 games when they ranked 21st.

"They have the personnel of a middle-of-the-pack defensive team but are in second place," said one league executive. "Their scheme isn't revolutionary, but it's getting the job done."

"Over the years we've seen a lot of teams play this way in the playoffs, they're playing with the strategy in the regular season," said one veteran coach whose team recently played the Lakers. "They do it by playing with great energy and with great game-plan discipline. If you're asking me if this is sustainable, yes, I believe it is."

The Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season by the Denver Nuggets after losing to them in the Western Conference Finals in 2023. Now, they're in the mix of contenders in the west right behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"I think they're a championship-level team," said a Western Conference executive. "They're in that upper echelon."

Via Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps/ESPN

[NoStatsGuy]

its annoying, that the lakers act like they pulled off a genius heist. you got handed luka on a silverplatter, pls stop with this act

[Vegeta10176]

its annoying, that the lakers act like they pulled off a genius heist. you got handed luka on a silverplatter, pls stop with this act

I do find it annoying they did the trade for an engaged lebron lol that is ridiculous it was a giveaway like you said no choice but to say yes.. I still think the owner must of been the guy that wanted this.. Nico Harrison can't be this insane surely?

[NBA4Lyfe]

Luka would be a FOOL to resign in Los Angeles if LeBron/bronny and Klutch are still there'. LeBron and rich Paul are only playing nice now cause Luka is a pending free-agent. Once Luka signs that long term deal espn/fs1 will all go in on Luka whenever the lakers lose lol.

Also not just that, Luka will never and I mean NEVER win an mvp as long as LeBron is on the lakers with him

[hyberx]

its annoying, that the lakers act like they pulled off a genius heist. you got handed luka on a silverplatter, pls stop with this act

Yup. It's very likely true that Luka was offered for Giannis and Ant first. They only went to the Lakers as a backup plan and Nico Harrison is dumb enough to take less because he wanted to keep things under wraps, instead of a long drag out open bidding war where Mavs would get way more but also a lot of uncertainties due to public push back.

So, the Lakers basically ended up with Luka due to dumb luck and Nico Harrison's incompetence.

[Pickled Prunes]

its annoying, that the lakers act like they pulled off a genius heist. you got handed luka on a silverplatter, pls stop with this act

Yup. It's very likely true that Luka was offered for Giannis and Ant first. They only went to the Lakers as a backup plan and Nico Harrison is dumb enough to take less because he wanted to keep things under wraps, instead of a long drag out open bidding war where Mavs would get way more but also a lot of uncertainties due to public push back.

So, the Lakers basically ended up with Luka due to dumb luck and Nico Harrison's incompetence.

DAL got the best player they could get in return. You can't measure a trade by the number of picks that changed hands. Both players are top-10 talents and both are injury prone. It's true, DAL could have gotten five 1sts and some swaps and hung out in the lottery for the next 5-8 years. They chose the riskier path of trying to move off Luka while still trying to win. I applaud them for not cashing in their chips and tanking... even if it bites them in the arse.

[The Laker Kid]

Luka would be a FOOL to resign in Los Angeles if LeBron/bronny and Klutch are still there'. LeBron and rich Paul are only playing nice now cause Luka is a pending free-agent. Once Luka signs that long term deal espn/fs1 will all go in on Luka whenever the lakers lose lol.

This doesn't make sense. If Klutch/Lebron wants to drive Luka out, wouldn't it make sense to do it now before he signs an extension? This is some insane conspiracy stuff here.

[hyberx]

its annoying, that the lakers act like they pulled off a genius heist. you got handed luka on a silverplatter, pls stop with this act

Yup. It's very likely true that Luka was offered for Giannis and Ant first. They only went to the Lakers as a backup plan and Nico Harrison is dumb enough to take less because he wanted to keep things under wraps, instead of a long drag out open bidding war where Mavs would get way more but also a lot of uncertainties due to public push back.

So, the Lakers basically ended up with Luka due to dumb luck and Nico Harrison's incompetence.

DAL got the best player they could get in return. You can't measure a trade by the number of picks that changed hands. Both players are top-10 talents and both are injury prone. It's true, DAL could have gotten five 1sts and some swaps and hung out in the lottery for the next 5-8 years. They chose the riskier path of trying to move off Luka while still trying to win. I applaud them for not cashing in their chips and tanking... even if it bites them in the arse.

That's not the point. It's not about AD. If they waited for season's end and open up a bidding war, which most of the league were not informed and would love to be in, they would have gotten AD + a lot more if that's their goal. But they screwed it up because they wanted to do it in total secrecy to avoid fan backlash.

""To get Dallas out of the luxury tax while still being cap-legal from L.A.’s end,"[32] the Lakers and Mavericks paid the Utah Jazz one second-round pick each to take on outgoing Laker Jalen Hood-Schifino's salary.[28] Jazz CEO Danny Ainge was brought into the trade one week before it happened and did not know Dončić was involved until 30 minutes before the news broke." per Wikipedia. Even Jazz that was involved in the trade were not informed, and Nico Harrison was dumb enough to accept less.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Don%C4%8Di%C4%87%E2%80%93Anthony_Davis_trade

[Beethoven]

It's like Doncic not only is a world class NASCAR driver, but he's also a mechanic who came to install a new engine in Bron that comes with an extra 100,000 mile warranty

[NBA4Lyfe]

Luka would be a FOOL to resign in Los Angeles if LeBron/bronny and Klutch are still there'. LeBron and rich Paul are only playing nice now cause Luka is a pending free-agent. Once Luka signs that long term deal espn/fs1 will all go in on Luka whenever the lakers lose lol.

This doesn't make sense. If Klutch/Lebron wants to drive Luka out, wouldn't it make sense to do it now before he signs an extension? This is some insane conspiracy stuff here.

It's not about driving Luka out. They want Luka to be ok with LeBron staying because the LeMedia needs a new scapegoat. We have seen this already with every single teammate of LeBron. Luka would be a fool to resign with LeBron James still on the roster lol. lol right even now the LeMedia is saying Bron should be top 3 in mvp voting lol

Luka was on top of the basketball world. To now be seen now as a secondary player to a 40 year dinosaur is a huge (step back) for his career

Luka is the perfect scapegoat because while he is talented he had serious flaws that the LeMedia can harp on

[Beethoven]

Then let's all hope Luka is the "fool" and re-signs with Lakers.

[JellosJigglin]

its annoying, that the lakers act like they pulled off a genius heist. you got handed luka on a silverplatter, pls stop with this act

Where in this article did the Lakers say anything at all? Which quote are you referring to? Did you even read the article?

[Pickled Prunes]

Yup. It's very likely true that Luka was offered for Giannis and Ant first. They only went to the Lakers as a backup plan and Nico Harrison is dumb enough to take less because he wanted to keep things under wraps, instead of a long drag out open bidding war where Mavs would get way more but also a lot of uncertainties due to public push back.

So, the Lakers basically ended up with Luka due to dumb luck and Nico Harrison's incompetence.

DAL got the best player they could get in return. You can't measure a trade by the number of picks that changed hands. Both players are top-10 talents and both are injury prone. It's true, DAL could have gotten five 1sts and some swaps and hung out in the lottery for the next 5-8 years. They chose the riskier path of trying to move off Luka while still trying to win. I applaud them for not cashing in their chips and tanking... even if it bites them in the arse.

That's not the point. It's not about AD. If they waited for season's end and open up a bidding war, which most of the league were not informed and would love to be in, they would have gotten AD + a lot more if that's their goal. But they screwed it up because they wanted to do it in total secrecy to avoid fan backlash.

""To get Dallas out of the luxury tax while still being cap-legal from L.A.’s end,"[32] the Lakers and Mavericks paid the Utah Jazz one second-round pick each to take on outgoing Laker Jalen Hood-Schifino's salary.[28] Jazz CEO Danny Ainge was brought into the trade one week before it happened and did not know Dončić was involved until 30 minutes before the news broke." per Wikipedia. Even Jazz that was involved in the trade were not informed, and Nico Harrison was dumb enough to accept less.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Don%C4%8Di%C4%87%E2%80%93Anthony_Davis_trade

But it is about AD, if you are going to critique the return in the trade. IF AD kept on the path he was on and was all-NBA this season, what would his trade value have been? OK, add another 1st and Max Christie to that... that was the Mavs return in this trade. DAL could have waited until the off-season and maybe gotten another pick, but they wanted to test the waters with AD and Kyrie before they gave Kyrie an extension.

I'm not saying that I would have pulled the trigger on this deal. But I do think people are either undervaluing AD or overvaluing Luka. DAL wanted to get rid of him for a reason. We won't know how this works out for a few years. It will be fun to watch it develop.

[Bob8]

DAL got the best player they could get in return. You can't measure a trade by the number of picks that changed hands. Both players are top-10 talents and both are injury prone. It's true, DAL could have gotten five 1sts and some swaps and hung out in the lottery for the next 5-8 years. They chose the riskier path of trying to move off Luka while still trying to win. I applaud them for not cashing in their chips and tanking... even if it bites them in the arse.

That's not the point. It's not about AD. If they waited for season's end and open up a bidding war, which most of the league were not informed and would love to be in, they would have gotten AD + a lot more if that's their goal. But they screwed it up because they wanted to do it in total secrecy to avoid fan backlash.

""To get Dallas out of the luxury tax while still being cap-legal from L.A.’s end,"[32] the Lakers and Mavericks paid the Utah Jazz one second-round pick each to take on outgoing Laker Jalen Hood-Schifino's salary.[28] Jazz CEO Danny Ainge was brought into the trade one week before it happened and did not know Dončić was involved until 30 minutes before the news broke." per Wikipedia. Even Jazz that was involved in the trade were not informed, and Nico Harrison was dumb enough to accept less.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Don%C4%8Di%C4%87%E2%80%93Anthony_Davis_trade

But it is about AD, if you are going to critique the return in the trade. IF AD kept on the path he was on and was all-NBA this season, what would his trade value have been? OK, add another 1st and Max Christie to that... that was the Mavs return in this trade. DAL could have waited until the off-season and maybe gotten another pick, but they wanted to test the waters with AD and Kyrie before they gave Kyrie an extension.

I'm not saying that I would have pulled the trigger on this deal. But I do think people are either undervaluing AD or overvaluing Luka. DAL wanted to get rid of him for a reason. We won't know how this works out for a few years. It will be fun to watch it develop.

You're missing crucial difference between those 2 players. Luka is 6 years younger. Even, if you say, they're on the same level now, which you can't, knowing that Luka was 5x in a row in first All Nba team, won scoring title last year and have insane stats. 6 years is still a huge difference. We could have had conversation, if they were similar age, but even then you don't trade by fans beloved 25 years old international superstar, who you drafted.

You said they're both injury prone. That's not true at all. Luka had first long term injury this year. This will be a first time he won't play 60+ games in his career. AD had only 1 60+ games in last 5 years. Since Luka came in Nba, he has played 74 games more than AD, this season not counting.

Trade was a disaster from the start, even from a PR perspective. You just can't say that you're afraid of 25 years old player bad conditioning and then trade for 6 years older far more injury prone player. Everything about this trade is idiotic and Mavs are paying huge price now.

It's over for Dallas. They lost this season and next, you can't expect anything from Kyrie next season. His first and only concern will be rehabilitating his knee, he won't hurry back no matter what. Mavs missing playoffs 2x in a row is highly probable.

[Blue_and_Whte]

OMG Shut up. Silver's most profitable team was about to lose their star so they orchestrated this trade. Wonder what Nico got?

[cheese318]

its annoying, that the lakers act like they pulled off a genius heist. you got handed luka on a silverplatter, pls stop with this act

I do find it annoying they did the trade for an engaged lebron lol that is ridiculous it was a giveaway like you said no choice but to say yes.. I still think the owner must of been the guy that wanted this.. Nico Harrison can't be this insane surely?

100% this is on ownership level. Doesn’t happen without it, and they feared $345M for one player and wanted to find a way out. That is where Nico stepped in and made an awful decision because of his prior relationship with AD

[Vegeta10176]

Luka would be a FOOL to resign in Los Angeles if LeBron/bronny and Klutch are still there'. LeBron and rich Paul are only playing nice now cause Luka is a pending free-agent. Once Luka signs that long term deal espn/fs1 will all go in on Luka whenever the lakers lose lol.

This doesn't make sense. If Klutch/Lebron wants to drive Luka out, wouldn't it make sense to do it now before he signs an extension? This is some insane conspiracy stuff here.

It's not about driving Luka out. They want Luka to be ok with LeBron staying because the LeMedia needs a new scapegoat. We have seen this already with every single teammate of LeBron. Luka would be a fool to resign with LeBron James still on the roster lol. lol right even now the LeMedia is saying Bron should be top 3 in mvp voting lol

Luka was on top of the basketball world. To now be seen now as a secondary player to a 40 year dinosaur is a huge (step back) for his career

Luka is the perfect scapegoat because while he is talented he had serious flaws that the LeMedia can harp on

So if Lakers lose you expect 40 year old LeBron should get the blame and not the 25 year old all nba 5x player lol. He shouldn't get critism because then actually 41 year old LeBron should be the best player lol.. I mean yeah LeBron has entered MVP conversations for top 5 voting right now which is insane but not to win it but get a few votes ranging from 3 to 5 where as Luka has been in the conversation to win it numerous times.. If LeBron is playing poorly they will talk about him retiring if he is playing well and the lakers are still losing and Luka isn't playing up to superstar standard then yes luka will be blamed..

[Pickled Prunes]

That's not the point. It's not about AD. If they waited for season's end and open up a bidding war, which most of the league were not informed and would love to be in, they would have gotten AD + a lot more if that's their goal. But they screwed it up because they wanted to do it in total secrecy to avoid fan backlash.

""To get Dallas out of the luxury tax while still being cap-legal from L.A.’s end,"[32] the Lakers and Mavericks paid the Utah Jazz one second-round pick each to take on outgoing Laker Jalen Hood-Schifino's salary.[28] Jazz CEO Danny Ainge was brought into the trade one week before it happened and did not know Dončić was involved until 30 minutes before the news broke." per Wikipedia. Even Jazz that was involved in the trade were not informed, and Nico Harrison was dumb enough to accept less.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Don%C4%8Di%C4%87%E2%80%93Anthony_Davis_trade

But it is about AD, if you are going to critique the return in the trade. IF AD kept on the path he was on and was all-NBA this season, what would his trade value have been? OK, add another 1st and Max Christie to that... that was the Mavs return in this trade. DAL could have waited until the off-season and maybe gotten another pick, but they wanted to test the waters with AD and Kyrie before they gave Kyrie an extension.

I'm not saying that I would have pulled the trigger on this deal. But I do think people are either undervaluing AD or overvaluing Luka. DAL wanted to get rid of him for a reason. We won't know how this works out for a few years. It will be fun to watch it develop.

You're missing crucial difference between those 2 players. Luka is 6 years younger. Even, if you say, they're on the same level now, which you can't, knowing that Luka was 5x in a row in first All Nba team, won scoring title last year and have insane stats. 6 years is still a huge difference. We could have had conversation, if they were similar age, but even then you don't trade by fans beloved 25 years old international superstar, who you drafted.

You said they're both injury prone. That's not true at all. Luka had first long term injury this year. This will be a first time he won't play 60+ games in his career. AD had only 1 60+ games in last 5 years. Since Luka came in Nba, he has played 74 games more than AD, this season not counting.

Trade was a disaster from the start, even from a PR perspective. You just can't say that you're afraid of 25 years old player bad conditioning and then trade for 6 years older far more injury prone player. Everything about this trade is idiotic and Mavs are paying huge price now.

It's over for Dallas. They lost this season and next, you can't expect anything from Kyrie next season. His first and only concern will be rehabilitating his knee, he won't hurry back no matter what. Mavs missing playoffs 2x in a row is highly probable.

1) You think I don't know how old AD is? I am not convinced that DAL plans to keep AD long term. It was my feeling fro the beginning that they might want to flip him in the summer, after checking his fit with Kyrie. Last season AD was All-NBA 2nd and All-NBA Defensive 1st. If he did that again, which he was on pace for, they could have dictated their price. As it stands, his value is still pretty high.

2) Luka averages 67 games per season. That's not great. And DAL clearly believes conditioning was a major factor and expected it to get worse, not better. It's ticky-tack things more than the long term injuries AD has dealt with, but those little injuries stack up. AD has average 61 games per season. I in his first six seasons he played 10 more games than Luka did in his first six. Only hindsight will give us the answer to the durability question.

3) You are correct about the PR disaster. I actually understand the DAL side of the trade: The nightmare it could be to deal with a diva like Luka every day, the potential value they got back with AD. I also knew from the get go that DAL fans would want to burn the arena with Nico in it. I'm sure he saw it as well and decided to pull the trigger anyway. He decided it was worth it.

I don't think DAL won the trade, only time will tell on that. Where I differ with most people is the idea that AD, Christie and a pick is chopped liver. If they traded Luka to UTH for Collins, Sexton and five 1sts,... is that really a better deal? Not if winning this decade is something they care about. As I said before, this trade isn't over. We may have to wait a couple of seasons for the dust to clear. One thing we will never know is whether DAL (with Luka on a supermax) would ever have gotten a third star to join him in DAL.

[Pickled Prunes]

This doesn't make sense. If Klutch/Lebron wants to drive Luka out, wouldn't it make sense to do it now before he signs an extension? This is some insane conspiracy stuff here.

It's not about driving Luka out. They want Luka to be ok with LeBron staying because the LeMedia needs a new scapegoat. We have seen this already with every single teammate of LeBron. Luka would be a fool to resign with LeBron James still on the roster lol. lol right even now the LeMedia is saying Bron should be top 3 in mvp voting lol

Luka was on top of the basketball world. To now be seen now as a secondary player to a 40 year dinosaur is a huge (step back) for his career

Luka is the perfect scapegoat because while he is talented he had serious flaws that the LeMedia can harp on

So if Lakers lose you expect 40 year old LeBron should get the blame and not the 25 year old all nba 5x player lol. He shouldn't get critism because then actually 41 year old LeBron should be the best player lol.. I mean yeah LeBron has entered MVP conversations for top 5 voting right now which is insane but not to win it but get a few votes ranging from 3 to 5 where as Luka has been in the conversation to win it numerous times.. If LeBron is playing poorly they will talk about him retiring if he is playing well and the lakers are still losing and Luka isn't playing up to superstar standard then yes luka will be blamed..

Since when have Lebron or Luka taken any blame? That's what Rui and Reaves are for. As it should be. I'm a professional musician, and everybody knows: When you screw something up, flash the drummer the stink-eye!

[NBA4Lyfe]

This doesn't make sense. If Klutch/Lebron wants to drive Luka out, wouldn't it make sense to do it now before he signs an extension? This is some insane conspiracy stuff here.

It's not about driving Luka out. They want Luka to be ok with LeBron staying because the LeMedia needs a new scapegoat. We have seen this already with every single teammate of LeBron. Luka would be a fool to resign with LeBron James still on the roster lol. lol right even now the LeMedia is saying Bron should be top 3 in mvp voting lol

Luka was on top of the basketball world. To now be seen now as a secondary player to a 40 year dinosaur is a huge (step back) for his career

Luka is the perfect scapegoat because while he is talented he had serious flaws that the LeMedia can harp on

So if Lakers lose you expect 40 year old LeBron should get the blame and not the 25 year old all nba 5x player lol. He shouldn't get critism because then actually 41 year old LeBron should be the best player lol.. I mean yeah LeBron has entered MVP conversations for top 5 voting right now which is insane but not to win it but get a few votes ranging from 3 to 5 where as Luka has been in the conversation to win it numerous times.. If LeBron is playing poorly they will talk about him retiring if he is playing well and the lakers are still losing and Luka isn't playing up to superstar standard then yes luka will be blamed..

YES.. i expect the player who the LeMedia is currently calling the MVP in lebron to get the blame.. not his teammates. For much is given.. much is required"

how can we forget the lemedia saying that the mavs won the luka/ad trade..