Luka Doncic resets Lakers timeline

El Segundo, Calif. (News4usonline) – Father Time has been knocking on the doors of Crypto.com Arena ever since ditching the iconic Staples Center name midway through the 2021-22 NBA season. The Clippers had begun construction on their new stadium, the Intuit Dome, and the Los Angeles Lakers megastar LeBron James was only days away from turning 37.

The future of basketball in LA was murky at best.

Fast forward three years, and the Lakers are the only NBA team still calling the downtown arena their home. James is now 40, the Lakers are averaging their lowest attendance since the stadium first opened its doors in 1999, and fans have started questioning Rob Pelinka’s ability to assemble another championship team.

Luka Don?i?: A magician with the basketball pic.twitter.com/EBzI0cgIBw

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 4, 2025

Father Time took a walk down the halls inside Crypto toward the hardwood floor, and before reaching center court, a monumental notification appeared that immediately turned back the clock. Luka Doncic is a Los Angeles Laker.

After pulling off the most shocking trade in recent NBA history, the Lakers have extended their championship window for at least another decade. With NBA TV ratings declining in the United States as the game shifts to more of an overseas product, the most popular franchise in the sport just landed the biggest international superstar in the league.

At 25 years old, Doncic is already a five-time All-NBA First Team player, an NBA scoring champion, and a Western Conference Finals MVP who has the ability to go down as one of the ten greatest players in NBA history.

“I am very happy to be here with this opportunity. It is the Lakers. It is one of the best clubs in history,” said Doncic. “You don’t come here for anything less than a championship, so I have everything left to prove, and the goal is to win a championship.”

The Lakers had to give up a player they likely viewed as untouchable, Anthony Davis, but Dallas offered them an asset a general manager could only dream of acquiring. The argument could be made that Doncic is the most valuable asset in the league. He is significantly younger than Nikola Jokic (29) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (30) and has a higher upside than Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jayson Tatum.

If the entire NBA were to be redrafted, the only player that teams might be inclined to consider taking over him would be Victor Wembanyama due to his unique size and skillset, but even that would be up for debate.

It might be challenging for the Lakers’ new face of the franchise to build championship chemistry with his former idol-turned-teammate in year one, but LeBron is still an All-NBA level player even at this point in his career. If Doncic can take the court with his new team before the All-Star break, anything is possible, especially when considering James and Doncic have two of the highest basketball IQs in the game’s history.

23 + 77 = ?

LeBron x Luka coming soon pic.twitter.com/U52T1ipz8W

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 2, 2025

“It is like a dream come true. I have always looked up to him. There are so many things I can learn from him, and I am excited to learn everything and now I get to play with him. It is an amazing feeling,” said Doncic.

This is a move for the future, a trade that will sell out the arena for years to come, and a player that will help facilitate adding new talent because of how much better he makes everyone around him. It is like adding a young LeBron to a roster that already has an aged, fine-wine LeBron who is ready to pass along his knowledge and hand over the keys.

This move could extend James’ NBA life even longer if he wants to continue to play and, at the same time, does not set the Lakers back if he decides to retire tomorrow. For the first time in his career, James can feel comfortable playing off the ball because he is giving up the responsibility to a guy who is just as good at running an offense as he is.

This trade can light a fire under a player who has been called out-of-shape despite averaging 34, 10, and nine last year. Doncic can learn how to take care of his body from the best to ever do it, allowing him to take his game to an ever higher level.

Going from LeBron James to Luka Doncic without any layover is unprecedented, and the Lakers just pulled it off.

Lead Photo Caption: INGLEWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 4: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) sits on bench with Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) during the NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers on February 04, 2025, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)