LeBron James talks Luka Doncic trade, ‘I have seen it all up until this one’

INGLEWOOD, CALIF. — After 22 NBA seasons in the spotlight, LeBron James likes to say he has seen it all. And he has.

That was until Saturday night.

“I ain’t never seen this one,” LeBron James said of the shocking trade that brought Luka Doncic to the Lakers. “I have seen it all up until this one. I have never been a part of one transaction like that. That was different.”

LeBron was like the rest of us, convinced that ESPN newsbreaker Shams Charania had been hacked rather than believing the Mavericks would trade the 25-year-old Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, who had been the Laker’s best player this season. That was, until Davis FaceTimed LeBron — out to dinner with family in New York — and told him this was real.

“It was definitely a weird, uncomfortable, truth moment for us,” James said of his conversation with Davis after the trade. “Just knowing that he was going to be gone, that was very, very difficult. Very challenging. I can see how in shock he was, obviously. And he probably saw it from my face, as well.”

The vibe around the Lakers Tuesday night was that of a team still processing the seismic change to their roster. The Lakers were able to focus through that, execute well and pick up a comfortable 122-97 win against their now cross-town rivals (although until they meet in the playoffs it’s not really a rivalry). Still, the vibe was just different.

“There’s a grieving process. There’s an excitement and a rebirth process,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said. “There’s all of these things, and those things take time. We’re not going to wave a magic wand and say, ‘Ah, we’re good today.’ It takes time.”

LeBron isn’t worried about himself and Doncic figuring out how to pay together.

“(We can be) whatever we want it to be,” James said. “It won’t take long. I can play with anybody, and I think he can, as well. So, we’ll work well together.”

“I think we both make our teammates better,” Doncic said earlier in the day at his press conference, echoing the same idea. “I think our IQ is very high, so I think that’s going to help everybody.”

This trade by Lakers GM Rob Pelinka was a clear move toward the future. Doncic will be the face of the franchise after LeBron, not Anthony Davis. For years, LeBron has asked the Lakers to get another ball handler, and AD has asked for a true center to play next to him. None of that happened, and now the focus is on building around Doncic.

That has led to some speculation LeBron would ask out, but that’s not happening. At least before the trade deadline.

“If I had concerns about it, I’d waive my no-trade clause and get up out of here,” LeBron said. “I’m here right now. I’m here right now. I’m committed to the Lakers organization. As the leader of the team, as one of the captains of the team, it’s my job to make [the transition] as seamless as possible.”

Doncic can’t sign any extension with the Lakers until six months after the trade. LeBron can be a free agent this summer, he has a player option for next season. The Lakers will make moves — like trying to land a center — but primarily they are going to let this season play out, see how things go, then make their decisions this offseason. Same with LeBron.

Right now, the entire team is trying to adjust to the new normal.