LeBron James may have left Lakers in a much better place without him
Could The King's departure actually benefit Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers?
By most accounts, the Los Angeles Lakers were preparing for life after LeBron James for a little while. Knowing they would have to turn the page sooner than later, the franchise struck a stunning trade for Luka Doncic to be the new face of the organization.
With James heading into his age-42 season as a free agent, the Lakers were in a holding pattern while James made his decision. Once the Lakers knew James wasn't coming back, they got to work on improving the roster . They knew their star player, Doncic, needed help in order to maximize his prime.
They re-signed Austin Reaves , traded for impressive young center Walker Kessler , signed several role players, and acquired first rounder Cameron Carr during the 2026 NBA Draft .
NBA analyst believes Lakers could have higher win total than 76ers this season
Given those moves, plus James' departure which could benefit Doncic, Mat Issa of SB Nation believes the Lakers could actually have a better season than James' Philadelphia 76ers this year.
We have enough of a sample size now to say that James and Luka Doncic were an imperfect fit. According to PBP Stats, the Lakers were better when only one of the two jumbo ball handlers was on the floor than when they shared the court together. At the end of the day, both James and Doncic are better when a team is being molded in their likeness, rather than when they need to placate to others’ wants and needs. This iteration of the Lakers isn’t a super team, but they do have a top five-ish player, a borderline All-Star, and a cavalcade of versatile chess pieces to slot around them. Their roster certainly makes a lot more sense than the team that James left them for.
James was far from the Lakers' biggest problem last season, and was efficient as always when he was on the court. But in order for him and his offense to thrive, he needs the ball in his hands. Unfortunately, so does Doncic .
With new pieces around him and the ball set to be in his hands more often, Doncic may have the MVP season Lakers have been teased with in 2026-27.
