With envy in their eyes, NBA franchises plan on punishing the Los Angeles Lakers for landing Luka Doncic.
The Lakers added yet another generational star to their ranks in February with the Doncic trade. Fans across the NBA were dumbfounded at how the Lakers got so lucky again.
The franchise’s superstar chain of succession reads like an all-time NBA team. From Jerry West to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, from Magic Johnson to Kobe Bryant, and now they get to go from LeBron James to Luka Doncic.
Very few teams in the NBA can boast the superstar talent that the Lakers have throughout their history. So naturally, this latest move is sure to spark some jealousy among franchises.
However, it now appears that this jealousy is translating into front office strategy, as teams across the NBA are unlikely to make things easy for the Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers will try and build their roster around Luka Doncic. They’ll have to look to the trade market, and the Lakers’ front office is reportedly debating which players to trade.
But according to NBA insider Jake Weinbach, teams around the NBA feel that the Lakers got a gift in Luka Doncic, and they don’t plan to make it easy for them to build around the superstar.
“League executives believe the Lakers were handed a ‘gift’ after acquiring Luka Doncic from Dallas… This league-wide sentiment is expected to make it more challenging for the Lakers to negotiate with other teams.”
“If the Lakers engage in trade discussions, the organization may have to ‘overpay’ for certain players of interest on the market.
Lakers fans won’t be happy to hear this. Of course, it is never good to see teams operate in bad faith when negotiating, as it sets a bad standard for the league.
But they also have every right to withhold assets or acquire the best deal possible to make any potential championship challenge for the Lakers that much tougher.
Luka Doncic is going to re-sign with the Lakers very soon, with reports of his future suggesting it is almost a guarantee. The Slovenian superstar is extension-eligible this offseason.
But reports have suggested Doncic will sign a short-term extension to keep his options open. If that is the case, the Lakers have a much smaller window with the former All-Star to build a contending team.
If the Lakers find it difficult to put together a championship-level team, Luka might look to leave the Lakers in the coming years to join a team better equipped to help him win a title.
Of course, Pelinka is a savvy operator who has pulled off some great trades in the past. And if he can get some great pieces around Doncic soon, this might become a non-issue.
But this negative sentiment towards the Lakers might make things very difficult for him. It will be a true test of Pelinka’s negotiating skills to put together a great roster behind LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
