{"id":79177,"date":"2025-07-14T08:01:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T08:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=79177"},"modified":"2025-07-14T08:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T08:01:11","slug":"update-lakers-could-have-only-bait-for-276-million-lebron-james-replacement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=79177","title":{"rendered":"UPDATE!! Lakers Could Have \u2018Only\u2019 Bait for $276 Million LeBron James Replacement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LeBron<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers could have a secret weapon in what many around the league hope is a real shot at signing Nikola Jokic in the future: Luka Doncic.<\/p>\n

Jokic is passing on contract extension talks with the Denver Nuggets this offseason. His decision is easily explainable as a financial decision.<\/p>\n

The Nuggets have also struggled to recapture the magic of their 2023 NBA Finals run.<\/p>\n

The Denver Gazette\u2019s Mark Kiszla posited that Doncic is Jokic\u2019s \u201cbrother from another mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJokic is built differently than\u00a0LeBron James\u00a0or\u00a0Kevin Durant. Chasing the greener grass or the biggest bag of cash? Joker\u2019s not about that action. He and Denver are a great fit because the bright lights don\u2019t dazzle Jokic. What he cherishes most about basketball is the brotherhood of the game. But that did get me thinking when news broke last week that the Lakers are ready to thank King James for the memories and build their future around Luka Doncic,\u201d\u00a0Kiszla wrote\u00a0on July 12.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWho is Luka\u2019s basketball brother from another mother? A fondness for Doncic might be the only thing that could tempt Jokic to leave the Nuggets. If they ever joined forces, Luka and Jokic would steamroll the NBA until their wheels fell off.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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These two had jokes all weekend long at 2024 #NBAAllStar!<\/p>\n

Tonight, they battle\u2026 Lakers-Nuggets, 8:30pm\/et on ABC \ud83e\udd1d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Jokic is entering Year 3 of a\u00a0five-year, $276 million contract\u00a0but has a player option for the 2027-28 season.<\/p>\n

He may still be a long-shot pairing with Doncic for the Lakers for that reason.<\/p>\n

LeBron James Sends Clear Message About Lakers Future<\/h2>\n
\"Luka<\/p>\n

Getty<\/span>Luka Doncic #77 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers warm up before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

James\u2019 future with the Lakers, particularly following Doncic\u2019s arrival, remains uncertain. That has created room for speculation, though others will be available sooner without a trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Luka Doncic goes for\u00a0Anthony Davis, it was like our AD\u2019s, joining a win-now team in Dallas, Luka Doncic, faces the franchise for the next 8 to 10 years. That was really the vision. But anytime you\u2019re in LA, you\u2019re the Lakers, the goal is to compete for a championship,\u201d ESPN\u2019s\u00a0Shams Charania said on Sirius XM NBA Radio\u00a0on July 10.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLeBron James, \u2026 he\u2019s at the point of his career \u2013 40 years old, gonna be 41 \u2013 he wants to play for a championship next season. He\u2019s made that abundantly clear. His agent, Rich Paul, told me that very directly. He wants a realistic chance to compete for a championship. And so, no matter if he has one year left, two years left, or three years left. He wants to be in that mode, and he feels clearly that the Lakers are more on a futuristic mindset, where does that go?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

James, perhaps unintentionally, helped fan the flames. He said he had \u201cnothing to talk about\u201d when asked about his future with the Lakers. James is on an expiring two-year, $101.3 million contract.<\/p>\n

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With LeBron James at the Lakers game tonight, I asked him if he would like to speak to me about his future with the franchise. \u201cI ain\u2019t got nothing to talk about,\u201d he said. My report for ESPN from Las Vegas.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI think that that situation will play out over the next two months,\u201d Charania said. \u201cI really think there will be some hard conversations eventually that\u2019ll need to happen there.<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Luka Doncic Could Be Flight Risk for Lakers<\/h2>\n
\"Luka<\/p>\n

Getty<\/span>Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers is cheered as he enters the court before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

For all of the speculation around James\u2019 future with the Lakers and what may happen with Jokic and the Nuggets, Doncic\u2019s future also remains unresolved.<\/p>\n

He is in Year 4 of a\u00a0five-year, $215.1 million deal. He is eligible to sign a four-year, $223 million extension this summer.<\/p>\n

Doncic also has a player option for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne noted the \u201cuncomfortable position\u201d Doncic could put the Lakers in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lakers are keenly aware \u2014 as is the rest of the league \u2014 that Doncic has a monumental decision to make starting Aug. 2, when he\u2019s eligible to sign an extension with the team,\u201d\u00a0Shelburne and Windhorst wrote on July 11.<\/p>\n

The prized star can opt to be a free agent next summer under his current deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoncic can add four more years and $223 million, and the Lakers will assuredly offer exactly that, but he might prefer a three-year $160 million deal instead because it sets up better for future contracts. The Lakers will gladly accept either, though they might have to be patient; Doncic is playing for the Slovenian national team this summer in high-intensity EuroBasket, which runs through mid-September, and his NBA contract business might wait until then.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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