LA Lakers' Luka Doncic Pipe Dream Will Remain Just That

Los Angeles' premier franchise lacks the aura they once had in free agency.

Keenan Womack | Aug 25, 2024

Dec 12, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

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Every single offseason, like clockwork, the same story arises from the rumor mill: "Lakers targeting top player in the NBA in free agency."

This isn't to say it hasn't ever happened, as the allure of donning the purple and gold has resulted in some major free agents landing in L.A. The most notable of course was Shaquille O'Neal, which resulted in three championships, followed by LeBron James, who helped win them a title in 2020 during the COVID bubble season.

But the free agent market has not been kind to the Lakers lately. Even this past offseason, Klay Thompson, to the chagrin of his father and the rest of the L.A. brass, chose the Dallas Mavericks over his father's former team, shunning them in order to play alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving with the defending Western Conference champs.

This hasn't stopped analysts from speculating that the Lakers will pursue Doncic, who is entering the third year of a five-year deal with the Mavericks that includes a player option in 2026-27. He wouldn't be an unrestricted free agent until the 2027 offseason, and he's also eligible for a super-max extension in the 2025 offseason that would end up paying him the biggest salary in NBA history.

But beyond the financials, the luster of the Lakers has worn. Since the 2019-2020 season, they have missed the playoffs once, lost in the first round twice, and in their most successful season, were swept in the Western Conference Finals in a series in which they had no chance. Last season, they fired head coach Darvin Ham after losing 4-1 in the first round to Denver, hiring first-time head coach J.J. Redick to take over in a move that illustrated some of the dysfunction in the front office.

The primary thing to note versus on-court performance is the lack of stability within the Lakers organization – Frank Vogel won the title in 2019-2020, yet was fired two seasons later. Darvin Ham coached for just two seasons before being fired. This kind of turnover has resulted in a toxic situation that doesn't bode well for a first-year head coach in Redick.

Why would Doncic leave a ready-made situation in Dallas to play in LA, where things have been so unstable? What are the upsides outside of the "aura" of the Lakers and playing in Los Angeles? LeBron James is 39 years old, and while Anthony Davis is just 31 and playing at a very high level, the rest of the roster is frankly lacking in young potential.

Mavs general manager Nico Harrison has built a team around Doncic that went to an NBA Finals last season, on top of making even more improvements to the roster. This is a conversation that may have made sense an offseason ago after Dallas missed the playoffs, but to give credence to the rumor that every NBA star is dying to play for L.A. feels like a mistake on the Lakers' part from a strategy perspective in approaching free agency.

If Doncic were to leave Dallas, which feels unreasonable to talk about with three years left on his contract, L.A. would not make a ton of sense as a destination. But since they're the Lakers, Mavericks fans will be hearing about this all offseason.

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Published Aug 25, 2024

KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.