The Los Angeles Lakers are entering one of the most monumental seasons in recent franchise history. With the newly locked-down Luka Doncic and an unspecified future with LeBron James, the Lakers have high hopes for its first, and potentially only, full season of the superstar duo.
But at the same time, the franchise holds lofty expectations for 2025-26, Los Angeles was recently warned that its current roster construction could prove extremely detrimental. Along with Doncic and James, the Lakers have Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, and a divisive supporting cast.
Writing for Fansided, G.C. Bellchamber urged the Lakers not to fall into the two-timeline approach attempted by the Golden State Warriors. His argument was based on recent updates from Bobby Marks of ESPN on how Los Angeles sees its future.
“You are a win-now team, but then you also have an eye out in 2026 [and] 2027 when you have potential of $100 million of cap flexibility,” Marks said on NBA Today. “That’s going to be the most challenging thing this year is the two timelines approach.”
With Doncic as their new franchise superstar, Bellchamber wrote that Rob Pelinka and the front office should focus on finding players at a similar age and point in their careers to maximize the Slovenian’s potential.
Lakers Urged To Avoid The Two-Timelines
While it’s hard to call the Warriors’ past decade a failure, their biggest shortcoming was the scrupulous attempt to build a bridge to a new era after Kevin Durant left in 2019.
They drafted James Wiseman with the second pick of the 2020 draft, a player who played a total of 60 games for the team and is now fighting for a roster spot. Other prospects, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, haven’t panned out as they thought, with the latter causing more headaches than anybody for the franchise.
They also tried to pair Jordan Poole with their established stars of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, but he didn’t last long.
The Warriors did go on to win the 2022 NBA Finals, but their attempt to put young players around their veterans to bridge the gap between two eras proved futile. The franchise has seen much more success when it’s added established stars like Durant or Jimmy Butler.
All of that is to say that the Lakers are marching down a similar path. With Doncic at 26 years old and James at 40, there is a big gap between the two stars. As they enter a new era of the team, Bellchamber urged Pelinka and the front office to make those decisions carefully.
“To succeed with Doncic, the team must attempt to add young talent and build a strong defensive core, just like the Mavericks once did en route to an NBA Finals run,” he wrote. “Yet, this balancing act with James and their older core could waste a valuable year of Doncic’s prime if it goes wrong, and the organization will soon learn the same lessons the Warriors did in attempting to have their cake and eat it too.”
Luka Ready To Lead The Team
At the same time the Lakers should be wary of a two-timeline approach, Doncic at least gives a bit more flexibility to potential roster additions. Los Angeles also has multiple players, including some of their new additions, at a similar age to their new franchise star.
They did add Marcus Smart, but at 31 years old, he, James, and Maxi Kleber are the only players on the roster over 30. While Bellchamber urged Pelinka to take note of the failed two-timeline experiment in the Bay Area, the general manager already seems to have considered it.
“We like the upgrades we were able to make to the roster,” Pelinka said the press conference for Doncic’s extension. “But by no means are we going to be satisfied. I think every year we’re on an infinite cycle to try to improve this team and win championships, and we’ll stay committed to that work.”
While the Lakers are ready to have Doncic step in as their new leader, he is ready to take on the responsibility. After signing a contract extension, transforming his body, and leading Slovenia during the EuroBasket tournament, Doncic said he is comfortable with the role he holds for the team.
“I’m way comfortable,” Doncic said in an interview with The Athletic. “Especially going to training camp, you know, having practice with the guys — like I said, it’s a start for me. But I will feel way more comfortable now.”
ESPN recently named Doncic the third-best player in the NBA entering the 2025-26 season, with James right behind at eighth. This now fully-formed Lakers team sits with the seventh-best odds to win the Finals, according to DraftKings.
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