Lakers fans rejoiced when the Dallas Mavericks agreed to send them Luka Doncic. He immediately became the future kingpin, a line of safety once LeBron James retires. But the move sealed the possibility of the Purple and Gold playing in the future. James opting in to his final year is not him trying to signal his last year in the NBA. It’s a calculated move to get the Lakers’ front office to take some action.

So far, their roster has seen zero change from last season. James not taking a pay cut leaves their finances in a tight spot, too. So the rumblings have started to surface. LeBron James wants to compete, and his hometown team, the Cavaliers, has a roster capable of making that leap. But being a second apron team, they can’t directly talk with the Lakers. So, there has to be a third team. But the chances? Jovan Buha, the NBA beat reporter, explains.

Jovan Buha is aware of a team that could capitalize on this situation. Ironically, it’s the Mavericks who are making headway again. “I’ve played with the trade machine with the base of Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington. That fourth guy could be Max Christie. I think the Lakers would love that. but could be Naji Marshall, could be um Caleb Martin.” Buha hinted at the chances the Lakers might take. But what if the interest lies somewhere else? Will Dallas part ways like they did for Doncic?

No, not after what they faced this February. So the return for the Lakers won’t be the greatest, as a few players are ‘untouchable’. “There’s a lot of like they’re not trading Flagg. They’re not trading Lively. They’re not trading AD. They’re not trading Kyrie. Everyone else is on the table,” Buha unloaded on his YouTube channel.

It would all align for Dallas after their Luka Doncic debacle. LeBron James would immediately raise the team’s competitive ability in the West. Additionally, with Kyrie Irving out for the first few months, he could take up his role. After that, it’s about adjusting the same way he did with Doncic. With the Mavs, James gets the chance to rest and won’t have to expend himself uncontrollably as he is doing for the Lakers.

But whether it’s the Dallas Mavericks or another team, what James wants is to make his final years count.

LeBron James opting in was a statement

Considering the opportunities the LA Lakers would have had to add at least one meaningful piece to their roster if LeBron James took a pay cut, his decisions raised many questions. To clarify, Rich Paul made a statement. He forwarded the appreciation James has for the Lakers, having spent the past seven seasons with them. He also understood their intentions to continue keeping their future in mind.

But the way Buha read it, he noticed something. “It almost sounds past tense in a way that is a bit jarring,” he mentioned. The core of Paul’s statement was this. LeBron James wants his last few seasons to be met his the same dedication from the team. He wants to win as many championships in this final phase. Nobody knows how long that is. But Jovan Buha does think his decision to opt in was to apply that pressure on the Lakers.

He sees it play out in three ways. At first, he feels that if the Lakers can’t make the necessary upgrades to their roster, the Akron Hammer could ask out. The second is the understanding that this is James’ last season, and this was a move to psychologically force the front office to make the required changes because he doesn’t want to leave.

The third is sort of a combination. “He’s only playing one more year, but he hasn’t announced that yet and if they don’t upgrade the roster enough, he’s also going to ask out. so that could be kind of you know splitting or a combination rather of option one and two. And then I guess there is a less likely option that he’s positioning this to potentially leave in 2026 when his contract’s up and there will be more teams with actual cap space,” Buha added.

No matter which option might be correct, James is done waiting. The prospect of retiring is now literally around the corner. And he can’t afford to be in the midst of a slow rebuild. The Lakers need to act if they want to see Luka Doncic and LeBron James achieve great things together. But for that, Pelinka needs to start making calls very soon.