A franchise and its biggest star need to be aligned, and it appears the Lakers have that with Luka Dončić.
The Lakers traded for him last February, and he showed that he wanted to stay here by signing an extension in the summer.
Since then, every move has been about building around Luka and maintaining flexibility so that they can have optionality this summer with as much cap space as possible.
This is why they had a rather quiet trade deadline and why Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka
described the team as being aggressive by saying no to bad deals.
While fans might’ve been unsatisfied with the activity at the trade deadline, according to a recent piece by Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Luka supports how LA approached it.
A source familiar with Doncic’s thinking told ESPN that L.A.’s deadline approach with “adherence to discipline” and focus on the “long-term picture” was supported by the 26-year-old star. He has not pushed the team to add a superstar-level co-star for when James is no longer on the roster.
The relationship between Luka and the Lakers is still fairly new, but they’ve shown that they’ll work hard to do what he approves of.
When he joined the team in the middle of the season and asked for a center, they got him one. This summer, he was part of the recruiting pitch for Marcus Smart, and they landed him as well.
So, if he understands the inner workings of the organization and believes in the plan, then that’s what matters most.
Still, the pressure will be on the Lakers’ front office to prove they didn’t waste a deadline and can actually capitalize on the opportunity they created in the summer.
Because if they don’t upgrade the roster in significant ways this summer, then it won’t be long before even Luka will be wondering what’s being done to foster winning.
And while things are good now, as we’ve seen around the NBA with other franchises and their stars, it doesn’t take much for a situation to turn sour.
For now, though, Luka is happy and aligned with the vision.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
