By Aaron J Zacharias,Last Word On Sports

Copyright yardbarker

There may have been some level of trepidation emanating out of Los Angeles in the early parts of the summer due to a certain signing of a certain major player. Whether they would ever admit it or not, the Lakers’ front office waiting for Luka Dončić to sign his extension until late in the offseason had to have had them on pins and needles. There was always a slim (perhaps extremely slim) possibility that Dončić would wait for a further future time to make a decision. At the end of the day, Luka and the Lakers put pen to paper. He’s officially the future of the franchise, if he wasn’t officially that post-trade last season. Now, the Lakers, and more importantly, Rob Pelinka, have to build the right team around him, and according to a source close to Luka, Pelinka and Co. are so far taking the right steps.

Luka Dončić Has Faith In Lakers Brass Despite Recent Shaky Seasons

Luka Dončić’s trust in the Lakers brass is a good sign for the new season and future

Murmurings and muddled reports out of LA have claimed that the Lakers are in the business of moving off LeBron James. These reports had popped up throughout the offseason. Whether these reports have any genuine weight to them may be hearsay, but the fact that there was talk about it raised many eyebrows. From a futuristic basketball perspective, moving off LeBron so Luka could take complete control makes sense. At the same time, the case is strong that there is no superstar partner that the Lakers could pair with Luka that would be better than his current partner, LeBron.

On top of that, LeBron has his no-trade clause. The feeling from his camp is that he intends to go nowhere, remaining in Los Angeles until he hangs it up. Until that happens, it’s really the Lakers continuing to build around Luka and LeBron, until it’s just Luka. Regardless, with Luka now permanently in place thanks to his $165 million extension, there is good news regarding his current stance with the Lakers front office. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, a source close to Luka insists the star fully trusts the Lakers’ vision and plan for the future.

“He stresses every single day that his goal is to win a championship,” the source said. “He trusts the front office to do their part, and he trusts what they’re building.”

The Luka and LeBron duo must work for LA to compete this season

Again, scanning across the NBA landscape, and considering the high level of basketball LeBron is still playing at, there is no better star teammate that would complement Luka better than the King himself. Separately, their basketball IQ and ability to dictate and control the game are unmatched. Together? A nightmare, or so it should be for opposing teams. For the Lakers to compete in the postseason and a championship, while the Lakers’ supporting cast must show up and produce, it’s furthermore essential that LeBron and Luka lead the way.