LeBron James' camp's honest reaction to Rob Pelinka prioritizing Luka Doncic over him

The Los Angeles Lakers will soon enter a new era following the gift that the franchise received from the Dallas Mavericks in a shocking trade.

Yes, even nearly 10 days after the news, the Laker Nation cannot express how elated they are after being offered a 25-year-old Luka Doncic in an exchange for Anthony Davis.

With LeBron James already 40 years old, the Purple and Gold were in search of the next face of the franchise. Well, as fate would have it, they were served that on a silver platter by Mavericks GM Nico Harrison.

Evidently, the Lakers are pulling all stops to ensure Doncic feels at home with the franchise. It included trading for Charlotte Hornets' Mark Williams. While the trade made sense for Doncic, many wondered what it meant for the Lakers' plans for James.

Do the Lakers no longer prioritize the 4x NBA MVP? Well, ESPN's Dave McMenamin had an answer for all anxious Lakers fans in his recent report ahead of Doncic's much-anticipated debut.

"How Doncic's and James' opinions align on Hayes will be the first test of their partnership that could last months or go on for years, depending on how the rest of this season pans out," McMenamin wrote. "What is clear is that Doncic will have a say. And it wasn't lost on James' camp, sources said, that Pelinka prioritized Doncic's involvement upon his arrival and immediately engaged in the Williams trade that he'd asked for, when James had for years wanted the team to trade its picks to improve its roster."

Indeed, James reportedly wanted the organization to use their draft assets to truly enter win-now mode, but the Lakers didn't make any major moves.

On the other hand, the franchise seemingly didn't think twice before using their young assets to fulfill Doncic's needs, albeit the trade ultimately getting voided.

To be honest, the Lakers did pair James with Davis in the 2019-20 NBA season and it resulted in the franchise's 16th championship banner. Now, with James in the twilight years of his career, it's no surprise that the franchise wants to keep their next face of the franchise happy and fulfilled.

LeBron James' camp's honest reaction to Rob Pelinka prioritizing Luka Doncic over him: "It wasn't..."

By Aikansh Chaudhary | Feb 10, 2025