The Los Angeles Lakers have a unique perspective on understanding the price of greatness on the league's best players. Whether turning the clock all the way back to Magic or looking at Luka Doncic and LeBron James, the price is evident. A big piece of this is endless narratives that leave fans confused and searching for what reality might be. For Luka, this presented itself in the way of the Dallas Mavericks' shocking trade and stopping one step short of name-calling when explaining why Luka wasn't the answer.
It always rang a bit hollow when you consider that only a season before, the Mavericks were in the NBA Finals thanks to the efforts of the superstar. For LeBron, this type of endless speculation and narrative building has been a piece of his career. Leading to the latest story that James wasn't content with the Lakers building around Luka and had a high level of discontent with the Lakers. LeBron is refusing to play into this narrative, posting a story celebrating Luka's EuroBasket production.
LeBron James Sends a Clear Message to Fans After Noisy Offseason
Fullcourt Pass tweeted out the story, pointing out LeBron's support of the next face of the Lakers. What is so incredibly thick about the entire idea that James has an issue with this is the fact that he has long been seeking a partner he could hand off a team to. Dating all the way back to his days in Cleveland, the superstar didn't want Kyrie Irving traded, wanting to give the point guard the keys.
Fast forward to his first season with the Lakers, and it was obvious the franchise and James both wanted Anthony Davis to become the primary scorer. LeBron attempted to take a backseat and simply wasn't able to due to inconsistent play from Davis. Only in the lone championship run was the duo able to both be at the peak of their powers.
James has long searched for the right teammate to turn a team over to, understanding that even his greatness won't be undefeated against Father Time. Now, fans and pundits can take a breath and focus their support on the upcoming season. It never made any sense for the franchise to move away from James or for the superstar to force his way out.
You've been handed an elusive chance to play with one of the top five players in the league. Only Wade has an argument, as in the same conversation as an equally talented player, with Luka appearing to be on a better career path. Making it clear that James would be out of touch to believe the Lakers aren't the ideal landing spot out of current options.
There has always been incredible respect between the duo, and now they have the chance to play together for a full season and find out what could be accomplished. For the Lakers, another ring is needed to keep up with Eastern rivals and for James to remind the league he isn't done just yet.