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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
The Los Angeles Lakers were having an underwhelming offseason until they pulled off a surprise move and signed veteran guard Marcus Smart after he was bought out by the Washington Wizards. The team has plenty of scoring between LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, so adding a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year should help upgrade the defense in a major way.
It has been well reported that Doncic was key in the recruiting efforts for Smart. The Lakers came into the offseason needing more perimeter defense, and now they’ve found some.
The fact that Doncic has been recruiting players to the Lakers this offseason is very good news for the team. NBA insider Marc Stein believes that many of the concerns that Doncic won’t sign an extension with Los Angeles this offseason have been quieted.
“External fretting about Dončić committing his long-term future to the Lakers, meanwhile, has dissipated considerably thanks to the contributions made by the 26-year-old throughout free agency in collaboration with vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka,” Stein wrote.
Doncic is eligible to sign an extension in August, and there’s no reason to believe that he won’t commit to the Lakers long term.
Lakers Giving Doncic What He Wants
The Lakers didn’t trade for Doncic last season for him to be a two-year rental. They want him to be the face of the franchise for the next several years.
In recent years, they wrestled away some control from James, but now they’ve fully committed to giving Doncic what he wants. According to The Athletic’s Dan Woike, the Lakers were able to fulfill three major requests from the superstar guard.
“While Dončić hasn’t directly addressed his future with the franchise this summer — time he’s spent in Europe putting together an all-time revenge glow-up — his actions behind the scenes crystalize why the Lakers are confident with how things stand,” Woike wrote.
“Dončić, according to league sources, had communicated his desires for a capable rim-running center, shooting help and defensive support. The Lakers responded by filling those needs with Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and, soon, Marcus Smart.”
Where Does LeBron James Fit In?
James made headlines this offseason by opting into his Lakers contract and then releasing having his agent release a statement that suggested he might want a change of scenery. However, there doesn’t appear to be much trade interest around the NBA for the 40-year-old.
James wants to win now, and the Lakers have made moves this offseason that should help them be better in 2025-26. The team didn’t have a point of attack defender as good as Smart last season, and they certainly didn’t have a center as good as Ayton.
If James is on the roster, this Lakers team should at least be in the NBA Finals mix. Now, if James gets traded and the team doesn’t get great value in return, it might be a difficult year. It’s just hard to see where James could realistically go where he has a better chance of winning a championship this season than in Los Angeles.