It’s rather plain and simple. FOX Sports NBA insider Ric Bucher said that the Los Angeles Lakers have found their next superstar in Luka Dončić.
What that ultimately means, though, is that Dončić will be replacing LeBron James. That could make for an interesting dynamic over the next season and a half with James still on the Lakers’ roster.
Lakers Planning To Replace LeBron James With Luka Dončić
Bucher argued while making a guest appearance on FS1’s “The Facility” on Feb. 3 that, in no uncertain terms, the Lakers are replacing James with Dončić.
It won’t necessarily happen overnight because James is still on the team. He’s actually signed through next season and will make more than $50 million for the 2025-26 campaign.
But the writing is more than on the wall.
“They didn’t confer with LeBron before making this move,” Bucher told hosts Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, James Jones, and Chase Daniel. “They said, ‘Hey, we’re going to go get our next superstar.’
“So, for this year, Luka may be the star in waiting. But there’s no question that they’ve made the decision, ‘We’re turning the page, and we went and got our next superstar.'”
.@RicBucher dives into what the Luka Dončić move means for LeBron:
"They didn't confirm with LeBron. This says 'we're turning the page and getting our next superstar.'" pic.twitter.com/kCksOkNCsQ
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) February 3, 2025
Dončić has been a star since he arrived in the NBA as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, winning Rookie of the Year.
that was the last time Dončić didn’t make the NBA All-Star team, having now been named to the roster on five occasions — all before turning 25 years old.
Last season, Dončić led the NBA in points per game with a 33.9-point average. He then carried the No. 5-seeded Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals, where he averaged 29.2 points per game in a losing effort.
Dončić Called a ‘Carbon Copy’ of James
Dončić and James don’t play the same position, which is why their marriage this season and next is expected to work. However, both players demand the ball, particularly with the game on the line.
How the two Lakers superstars gel together will be one of the most intriguing storylines during the second half of the 2024-25 NBA season. But the fact the Lakers traded for a superstar so similar to James in playing style is yet another sign that the team wanted a replacement for the NBA legend.
“‘We went and got the carbon copy of the guy that’s there who’s 40 years old,'” Bucher concluded that the Lakers organization said to itself.
Butcher added that “the gold watch” (usually associated with retirement) could soon be coming for James.
James is averaging 24 points, 9.1 assists, and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. He’s also still averaging 34.7 minutes per contest.
But few athletes continue to maintain their high level of play well into their 40s as Tom Brady did in the NFL. Basketball is particularly a difficult sport to play well at an older age.
James turned 40 years old in December.
The Lakers were in the Western Conference Finals two years ago, but they suffered an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. Last year, Los Angeles lost in the first round of the postseason.
James led the Lakers to the NBA title during the 2019-20 season.
