“LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships. We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career,” said Rich Paul in a recent statement to ESPN. This remark highlighted the worry that LeBron James will be willing to go to another team if the Lakers do not build a championship-contending roster. The problem is that, as recent reports revealed, the Lakers are prioritizing rebuilding now around Luka Doncic. This has now brought up an important question: Are LeBron James’s days done? Possibly, if ESPN is to be believed.

ESPN LA’s Jorge Sedano and Scott Kaplan hosted renowned sports writer Ramona Shelburne on the recent episode of their show. With the discussion centrally themed around any upcoming trade deals for the Los Angeles Lakers, Sedano asked if Luka Doncic would be all right if, two years from now, the team is not maximizing a championship window. Shelburne replied by saying, “My sense with Luka is, he’s involved in everything they’re doing. And so, if he had a big problem with it, you know, I don’t know that he would make his feelings known the way LeBron does, but I think he would make his feelings known, whether it would be public or private. He would make his feelings known”.

This statement already highlights that the team is considering the Slovenian as the next face of the franchise. Similarly to LeBron, the 26-year-old is now being consulted on major decisions. To top it off, Shelburne believes that Rob Pelinka made a major investment in Luka and wouldn’t want it to go to waste.

“I just have this level of trust that they have a plan that he’s on board with, right? I don’t know why I have that level of trust, but everything says to me, if you’re Rob Pelinka, you’re going to have a new owner to impress,” said the 45-year-old. “You just pulled off one of the trades of the century. You got a new superstar face of the franchise. You’re gonna do everything right by that guy, right? And you’re gonna make sure everybody’s on board. You’re not going to risk him leaving you in free agency”.

After Luka Doncic was acquired by the Lakers back in February, it was obvious that the Slovenian was going to be the next face of the franchise. The only question was: How soon would it happen? Despite LeBron James being 40 years old, the NBA All-Time Scorer has shown no signs of retiring anytime soon. His recent urgency to win more titles, however, shows that his time is near. The same urgency has now made him determined to leave the Lakers if he has to.

Due to this, the Lakers are now faced with the dilemma of who to prioritize: Short-term veterans that would help LeBron James win a title now, or Long-term players through whom a team could be built around Luka Doncic? From everything that Ramona Shelburne said, the team would certainly lean towards the latter. The front office would be choosing to prioritize the next face of the franchise over its current one.

Prioritizing Luka Doncic means that LeBron James might be ready to cut ties with his team. However, if a former NBA champion is to be believed, then the 4x NBA champion won’t go out seeking another team so easily.

Kendrick Perkins highlights why LeBron James won’t leave Lakers: “Luka Doncic Just Went to the NBA Finals”

Bringing in Luka Doncic was considered to be a major win for the Los Angeles Lakers. After all, this was the same player who, along with Kyrie Irving, had led the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Finals in 13 years. As highlighted by Statmuse, the Dallas Mavericks went 26-34 without the Slovenian before he was traded. Even though the Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs, no one can deny the effect of the Luka Doncic-LeBron James partnership. The Lakers went 22-13 after the trade, including 18-10 with Dončić in the lineup. In the 23 games James and Dončić played together, the Lakers recorded 15-8 wins, scoring 116.1 points per game and allowing 114.1 points per 100 possessions. After this, why would LeBron want to break this partnership up?

During a recent segment of ESPN’s ‘Get Up’, Kendrick Perkins said, “LeBron is not going anywhere. Luka Doncic just went to the NBA Finals two seasons ago. He’s ready to win now. The Lakers have to go out there and do some work.”

Sure, the Lakers have the framework to compete for a championship. The playoffs run allowed their weaknesses to come out. The most obvious, of course, was a lack of size at center. A few more improvements, and LeBron James could be convinced to stay.

Kendrick Perkins also believes that LeBron James is only trying to send a message to Mark Walter through his demands. He added that “LeBron ain’t going nowhere, I think because it’s a new owner, it was just a message out there and one I think it was clear on Rich Paul part about him opting on which got us to this point. I think also it was a message to the new ownership group that the standards are the same right. ‘I’m trying to compete for a championship’, and as the new owner of the Lakers, the standard should always be that, you’re one of the most historic franchises in sports.”

These really are uncertain times, with no idea how things can unfold. No matter what, however, the Lakers will be putting Luka Doncic on top. He is the team’s future. What the future of the Lakers will be depends on how he leads them. It will be exciting to see how things proceed under his control.