The Los Angeles Lakers have made it clear that they plan to build the franchise around Luka Doncic going forward. The 26-year-old superstar is one of the best players in the NBA and gives the team a future to be excited about.
However, Doncic isn’t going to bring the franchise a championship without some help. The star guard loves playing with athletic bigs, which is why he pushed for the Lakers to get him one last season after he was traded.
That didn’t end up happening, and Los Angeles got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. A big reason for the lackluster playoff run was due to Jaxson Hayes becoming borderline unplayable. The Lakers upgraded at center with the signing of Deandre Ayton, but he can opt out of his contract after the season.
Ayton is also injury-prone, so Los Angeles would be wise to add more center depth. One player who could be interesting is Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo.
The Heat are due for a rebuild, and Adebayo knows it. He’s been the subject of trade rumors for months, but Miami hasn’t pulled off a deal.
NBA legend Michael Jordan recently held a party in Greece, and Doncic was seen hanging out with Adebayo. Now, that could just be a couple of colleagues being friendly at a party, but it’s certainly going to stir some speculation.
Adebayo would be a great fit for what the Lakers want to do. However, they’d have to trade for him, which won’t be easy. But nobody thought the team could trade for Doncic, so perhaps they have an ace up their sleeve.
Doncic’s Agent Talks LeBron James Rumors
One person who doesn’t appear to be happy with the Doncic trade is LeBron James. While he’s a big fan of Doncic, he isn’t a fan of playing second fiddle for a franchise.
There’s been talk that James wants a trade, but Doncic’s manager, Lara Beth Seager, made it clear that the star guard wants to continue to be teammates.
“Championships are won when you work together. We all share that same goal,” Seager told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “Luka loves playing with LeBron and has learned so much from him. He has nothing but the utmost respect for LeBron and considers it an honor to be his teammate.”
Mark Cuban Addresses Doncic Trade
The Dallas Mavericks fan base is still getting over the Doncic trade. Landing Cooper Flagg makes it easier, but it’s going to be a while before he’s anywhere close to the level of player Doncic is.
Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban was critical of the trade at the time, but he also understands that trades happen in the NBA.
“Yeah for sure,” Cuban said on SiriusXM NBA radio. “Trades are trades. I let Steve Nash go, and the whole town hated my ass for a long time. [Nash] goes and wins two MVPs and I got nothing back for him. Not every decision is one everyone’s going to agree with, but there’s a lot more to being a general manager. Particularly now with the new CBA and the second apron, trying to put together a team and being able to keep together a team is a lot harder.”
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