The Los Angeles Lakers are getting standout seasons from Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves - and that’s not hyperbole. Dončić is doing what he does best: orchestrating the offense with surgical precision, putting up MVP-level numbers while making the game look effortless. Reaves, meanwhile, has taken a serious leap, evolving into a dynamic secondary creator who’s not just surviving next to a superstar, but thriving.
But despite the rise of this new core, the Lakers still have LeBron James - and that’s where things get complicated.
Let’s be clear: LeBron is still producing at a level that defies logic for someone in his 40s. Since returning from a sciatica injury, he’s averaging 20.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.
Those are All-Star level numbers, and they speak volumes about his basketball IQ, his discipline in maintaining his body, and his ability to adapt. He’s not just hanging on - he’s still impacting games.
But the numbers also tell a tougher story when you zoom out.
When all three - Dončić, Reaves, and LeBron - share the floor, the Lakers are getting outscored by 7.1 points per 100 possessions (per Databallr.com, with garbage time removed). That’s not a small sample fluke - that’s a trend.
LeBron and Dončić together? A minus-8.3 net rating.
LeBron and Reaves? Break-even.
But when Dončić and Reaves are on the court without LeBron, the Lakers are crushing teams - outscoring opponents by 19.6 points per 100 possessions. That’s elite territory.
That’s “we can win the West” territory.
The issue isn’t about whether LeBron can still play. He clearly can.
The issue is fit. The modern Lakers have shifted their identity - intentionally or not - toward a younger, faster, more dynamic offensive engine built around Dončić’s heliocentric brilliance and Reaves’ emerging versatility.
LeBron, for all his greatness, is a third ball-dominant player in a system that only needs two.
The Lakers knew this transition was coming. They didn’t offer LeBron a contract extension last summer.
They didn’t commit long-term. They built a roster that clearly catered to Dončić’s strengths.
But they stopped short of the final step: actually moving on from LeBron.
And now, they’re in a bind.
This was supposed to be a transition year - a bridge to a future where Dončić and Reaves are the franchise pillars. The team was positioned to consolidate, develop chemistry, and prepare for a big cap-space summer in 2026. That plan made sense - until Dončić and Reaves accelerated the timeline with their breakout play.
Now, keeping LeBron on the roster feels less like a respectful sendoff and more like a missed opportunity. With the right pieces around their two stars, the Lakers could be in the conversation with the Nuggets and Rockets as legitimate contenders. Instead, their 19-8 record might be hiding a team whose true ceiling is closer to the middle of the West.
Could the Lakers have found a trade partner for LeBron this past offseason? Maybe.
Could they have negotiated a buyout to let him sign elsewhere for the mid-level exception? Possibly.
But whatever talks did or didn’t happen, the result is the same: a roster that’s caught between eras.
LeBron’s trade value isn’t what it used to be. Age and contract status make an in-season move difficult, and the window for a clean break may have already closed. The offseason would’ve offered more flexibility, more suitors, and a better chance at reshaping the roster to maximize Dončić and Reaves.
Instead, head coach JJ Redick is left trying to balance three high-usage creators, all of whom are used to being the guy. It’s a tough task for any coach, let alone one in his first year on the bench.
There’s still light at the end of the tunnel. The Lakers are set up for a major cap space play this coming summer.
And if they can make the right moves, they could vault into true contender status. But for now, the question lingers: what if they had made the bold move when the opportunity was there?
Sometimes, the hardest part of building a championship team isn’t adding talent - it’s knowing when to move on from it.