“The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today,” LeBron James once said. However, the NBA’s greatest scorer inevitably has to step down one day. With the player turning 40 in December, that moment may come soon. Having relied on LeBron to carry them for six seasons till now, the Los Angeles Lakers will be forced to go through a rebuilding process that will put a different key player at the center of things. With a candidate already in the limelight, Jeanie Buss is now being asked to not delay things further than they have to be.

In the ‘Locked on Lakers’ podcast, host Andy Kamenetzky highlighted that the Lakers has delayed things by not handing the key role to Anthony Davis already. After all, the longer LeBron James “is on this roster, the more rebuilding post-LeBron around Anthony Davis as, at the very least, the focal point of your team just starts becoming impractical, if not impossible.” In other words, the longer LeBron stays with the Lakers as team leader, the longer it will take for Anthony Davis to assume the role and for the franchise to return to championship-contending level. With the 39-year-old having already signed on to a 2-year extension worth $101.36 million, only one option now remains for Jeanie Buss and other members of the Lakers management.

“If you really want to build around Anthony Davis, you kind of need to convince LeBron to leave” said Andy Kamenetzky.

Convincing LeBron to exit early is a scenario that neither party would like. After all, despite being 39 years of age, the NBA All-Time Scorer remains the franchise’s most valuable asset. In the 91 games that LeBron has missed over the last four seasons due to different reasons, the Lakers have held a winning record of only 39-52. By averaging 27 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8 assists during his tenure with the Lakers, he is the lead scorer. Even in the recent playoffs that the franchise lost against the Denver Nuggets by a 1-4 record, LeBron came on top with his 27.8 ppg. In this respect, this would not be the perfect time to ask the player to leave.

Furthermore, both the player and the franchise recently did their part in displaying a long-term commitment to each other. The Lakers recently took in JJ Redick as the new head coach, someone who LeBron shared a podcast with. The team also recruited Bronny James as the 55 overall pick during the 2024 NBA Draft. In turn, LeBron James took a $2.7 million pay cut on his recent contract to allow the Lakers some breathing room in terms of salary cap.

Anthony Davis has been to LeBron James what Scottie Pippen was to Michael Jordan for over five years now. At 31, the power forward is well-placed to lead the Lakers for the next few years should the need arise. However, the inclusion of Bronny James and JJ Redick indicates that the franchise is unwilling to cut ties with LeBron. Furthermore, Davis not being handed the reins has led many to question whether AD will be the successor to the throne. As it turns out, the Lakers may already be looking somewhere else.

Will the Lakers choose Luka Doncic over Anthony Davis to be LeBron James’s replacement?

Having recently taken the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011, many would not consider Luka Doncic to leave the franchise anytime soon. However, could he be persuaded by an offer from the Los Angeles Lakers? After all, the reality of this happening could be as true as anything.

Recently, former Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor stated: “I’ve reported on this podcast and on The Ringer how they have their sights set for Luka (Doncic) in the future. We’ll see if that works out. Dallas just made a Finals. Dallas is looking better than ever with their supporting cast. That may not work out, but the Lakers by not trading their future picks clearly are still thinking long-term at this point. They’re not going all in like you might expect many teams to do with James.” This one statement caused the NBA world to go into debate mode. Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry disagreed with the notion of adding Luka Doncic, stating “You gotta have some athletic guys that can play some defense, and Luka, he can score with the best of them, but we also know you gotta take beers out of his hand because he ain’t the one to stay in shape.”

The Slovenian’s “overweight” issues once again became a concern after he was recently seen, reportedly out of shape, at the ‘Night of the Dragon’ event. Barring one thing, however, there is no denying that the player has the potential to be amongst the faces of the NBA going forward. ‘The Atheltic’ reporter Sam Amick even compared him to the Lakers star once by stating “LeBron might be a little bit better defensively, and understand passing lanes (better). But when you talk about the stage—Ky (Irving), Luka, Dirk (Nowitzki)— the great ones aren’t scared.”

Anthony Davis or Luka Doncic? Who would you wish to see as LeBron James’s replacement? Let us know in the comments down below.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.