The Los Angeles Lakers must learn from the Golden State Warriors about the difficulty of blending timelines. It's a perfectly enticing idea, as a franchise could conceivably set themselves up for the future while honoring the past. In theory, that could create quite a rewarding present.
Much as the Warriors never truly committed to either timeline when drafting Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to help Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, however, the Lakers are suddenly swerving in and out of lanes.
Los Angeles has embraced its present with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves at the heart of their plans. Doncic, 26, and Reaves, 27, could realistically define the next decade of Lakers basketball if the recent trend of stars playing at a high level into their mid-30s persists.
Even if the window is shorter, the reasons for intrigue are abundant, as Doncic and Reaves have already displayed the potential to dominate games as an offensive duo.
The formation of a big three is completed by the timeless LeBron James. At 41, he continues to play at a level that would've led to All-Star recognition had he not missed 17 games already. Unfortunately, the timelines that Doncic, James, and Reaves are working along are already conflicting.
With similar strengths and weaknesses, the Lakers trio needs the type of support that suggests at least one of the three stars is a short-term fit—and there's a clear odd-man-out.
Lakers can't build around Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves
There is a way to build with Doncic, James, and Reaves on the same team. It's controversial and unlikely to take hold, but if the Lakers are willing to move one of the three to the second unit and replace them in the starting lineup with a defensive-minded wing, it could work.
Unfortunately, the hurdle in that scenario is exactly why the timelines clash: Doncic is locked in as a starter and, whether or not he's better than Reaves, James is the ideal sixth man.
Doncic, James, and Reaves are all relatively underwhelming defenders at this point in time, It's understandable for James considering he's 41, and it's just as rational for fans to believe the players in their respective primes should be offering more on defense.
The simple fact of the matter is that the Lakers intend to build around Doncic and Reaves—warts and all.
With that in mind, there's no real way to sustainably plug James into the starting lineup if he can't improve defensively. He's certainly not a bad defender when he's locked in, but there's only so much that can be expected of him with 23 seasons of wear and tear.
Considering the Lakers rank in the 22nd percentile in defensive rating with Doncic, James, and Reaves sharing the court in 2025-26, the need for change is unavoidable.
Defensive woes suggest Lakers must trade or bench one of the Big 3
The obvious counter is that injuries have plagued the Lakers in 2025-26, thus tainting the star trio's quality. They ranked in the 14th percentile in defensive rating as a three-man lineup in 2024-25, however, thus bringing the tally to certifiably abhorrent across more than 1,000 possessions.
For a team that's operating with a championship as a goal, there's simply no way to rationalize continuing with the three-man lineup for much longer if the results don't drastically change.
The question is: Would James be willing to come off the bench? Even if one were to make a compelling case for James being a better short-term fit alongside Doncic in the starting lineup, the fact remains that he's 41. He continues to defy Father Time and extend his iconic career, but the Lakers have no precedent to follow in terms of how future seasons will play out.
For that matter, Los Angeles isn't entirely sure of whether or not James will still be playing next season—for the Lakers or otherwise.
James will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Reaves will be eligible to join him. Though many have debated what type of contract Reaves should receive, the general expectation is that the Lakers will pay what they must to keep him in Los Angeles.
If James is unwilling to re-sign for less than the max and potentially take on a smaller role in the rotation, a trade could be the Lakers' only option.