In what's likely to be one of the last seasons of his NBA career, the Los Angeles Lakers have given LeBron James another All-Star teammate. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Chris Bosh, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Dwyane Wade is none other than Luka Doncic.
Some have questioned if James and Doncic have clashing skill sets, but there's one truth that even the most staunch of critics must accept: The Lakers didn't make this trade to complement James.
James has become the poster child for longevity, playing 22 seasons and never once dipping below the star-caliber line. He's well on his way to another All-NBA nod in 2024-25 and has given fans every reason to believe he has at least one more All-Star campaign left in the tank.
For as intriguing as that truth may be, James is also 40 years of age—and for as well as the four-time MVP has fought to prove otherwise, Father Time remains undefeated.
At some point in the relatively near future, James will retire from the NBA. It's unclear if his final games will be played in Los Angeles, but the hope is obviously that he'll be able to pursue at least one more championship in the purple and gold.
Having established those obvious truths, there's another that must be stated: The Lakers are excited to have Doncic play with James, but the long-term goal is for the 25-year-old to replace him.
Luka could extend LeBron's career, but he's also his Lakers replacement
In a perfect world, Doncic would extend James' career by taking a significant amount of pressure off of him as a playmaker and scorer. James would thus be able to take a more measured approach to the regular season, preserving his health and limiting the wear-and-tear he endures before the playoffs.
Once James decides to retire from the NBA, the Lakers would have already transitioned to Doncic as the franchise player and could thus aim to sustain their excellence.
Even if Doncic and James never quite find their on-court chemistry, however, the trade was still a success. James is incomparable, but at 40 years of age, there simply isn't a precedent for how much longer he'll be able to play at this level.
Doncic, meanwhile, is 25 and already a five-time All-NBA First Team honoree who led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals as recently as 2024.
By trading for Doncic, the Lakers immediately made him the franchise player and top priority for all roster decisions. It's hard not to be excited by what he and James could accomplish as teammates, but the vision for Doncic ranges far beyond the current season.
The idea in Los Angeles is that the franchise has found its superstar of the present and future—ideally thriving for the better part of the next decade.
As such, for as valid as the concerns are about how these ball-dominant playmakers and shot-creators will coexist, they do nothing to impact the quality of the trade. The worst-case scenario from that perspective is that styles clash and Los Angeles moves on from James, thus more hastily prioritizing Doncic than expected.
It's a cruel element of the business of the NBA, but for as unfathomable as it is to say, developing chemistry between Doncic and James would be more of an added bonus than an actual priority for the future.
The bigger picture is that the Lakers have unfathomably found one of the few players equipped to replace James—and, one way or another, that's exactly what they plan for him to do.