The interesting offseason moves by the Lakers out in Tinseltown had plenty of people scratching their heads, from the hiring of JJ Redick to the team’s inability to draw any star free agents to the drafting of Bronny James with the 55th pick in the second round and the way the Lakers broke their backs to accommodate and encourage Bronny in Summer League play.
Another interesting development while observing L.A.’s crucial offseason is the language prominent members of the franchise have used to highlight Bronny’s character as a person. If not embellishments or oversells at times, the language, at the very least, appears to be diversionary, to take the focus off Bronny’s actual performance.
For instance, during a recent interview with AM 570 LA Sports, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss spoke about allowing Bronny to “prove that he should be in a Laker uniform” while praising his work ethic and dedication. She went as far as to say that she wants every player on the Lakers to have Bronny’s mentality.
Jeanie Buss Wants Every Lakers Player To Have Bronny James’ Mentality
“Yeah, I mean, again, we have to let the kid have an opportunity to play and prove that he should be in a Laker uniform,” Buss said. “And everything that we’ve seen from him and about him and his work ethic, just some of the things he’s had to overcome being the son of a big star. He works hard, he’s dedicated. He really wants to do this. And if we can have a roster of players with that same mentality, then I think the sky is the limit.”
While the Lakers also don’t want the fact that Bronny is LeBron James’ son to affect how people feel about him, at the end of the day he is the son of King James and his pathway to the league has been criticized by many people within the world of sports as special treatment. What Buss described as so hard, others see as so easy.
The way Buss describes Bronny’s journey really seems like they are handling him more delicately than most draft picks and keeping the expectations very low as far as his actual performance on the court, but constantly reinforcing the fact that his character is most important, and he has a high ceiling as a player.
Some would simply call those comments tempering expectations, because he is a second-round pick, and those guys rarely go on to become stars in the NBA. Others would describe it as another befuddling move in the Lakers’ recent media circus, where the organization has done nothing to dismiss the belief that LeBron James is running the show and influencing everything from free agency to the draft to the coaches that are hired.
Lakers Have Sights Set On Bringing In Luka Doncic To Replace LBJ In 2026
Meanwhile, if it appears that the Lakers and Rob Pelinka have been ignoring the future of the franchise to capture these last moments of glory in the LeBron James NBA journey, rumors have it that they have a blockbuster plan in place for when James retires.
According to reports, the Los Angeles Lakers are already preparing for the post-LeBron James era. Pelinka and the Lakers front office have reportedly had conversations on how to pivot when King James rides off into the sunset.
According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is the man the Lakers are targeting as the cornerstone of the franchise’s future. The former third overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft is only 25 years old and could potentially put in a decade of ring-chasing work for one of the NBA’s top two franchises, which immediately elevates his legacy and makes it easier for him to attract free agents.
“I’ve reported on this podcast and on The Ringer how they have their sights set for Luka in the future,” O’Connor said on “The Mismatch” recently. “We’ll see if that works out. Dallas just made a Finals, Dallas is looking better than ever with their supporting cast. That may not work out, but the Lakers by not trading their future picks clearly are still thinking long term at this point. They’re not going all in like you might expect many teams to do with James.”
Can The Lakers Sign Luka In 2026?
Doncic has three years left on his five-year $215 million deal, with the final season being a player option. Just entering his peak, Luka could hit the free-agent market as early as 2026 and he still wouldn’t be 30 years old.
If James plays at least two more seasons, as most expect him to do as he guides Bronny’s first few years in the league, the timing could work out perfectly and give Pelinka an opportunity to immediately upgrade.
The Mavericks are probably already thinking ahead and will probably keep Doncic’s contract from running down to the point where he could hit free agency, but Dallas can’t make him re-sign if he wants to go to the Lakers. Superstars have been known to make such moves. Shaq went from a nice situation in Orlando to a bigger and better one in L.A. LeBron left Cleveland again to hit up Hollywood.
This actually makes sense. With Mark Cuban selling his majority ownership stake in the team in a $3.5 billion deal, approved in December 2023 in which he handed control of the Mavericks to the family of Miriam Adelson, a well-known name in the casino and real estate world, the culture of that organization could change.
Cuban, who still holds a 27 percent stake in the team, will stay on to manage basketball operations, but this sale marks a significant pivot for him.
Who knows if the current ownership will be as enthusiastic and into basketball as he was. Acquiring Doncic would be a bold future move if the Lakers could pull that off.
The possibility of Doncic becoming a Laker when Bron bounces could also be a distraction from this current time when the only thing Lakers Nation has to discuss is Bronny James. The team doesn’t look like a contender. It has plenty of holes, but it does have King James and AD. And now Bronny, who by all accounts is a heck of a guy.
