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For the first time in his 23-year career, LeBron James will miss the opening game of the season and will not be re-evaluated for another 3 to 4 weeks due to a right-side sciatica injury suffered in a scrimmage back in August.

Publicly, the Lakers don’t view the LeBron news as overly alarming but see it as a silver lining as the time off will keep James fresher and healthier for the playoffs and other players will get chances for more time and touches. Internally, the news just confirmed why the Lakers had decided not to offer LeBron James an extension as they want to move on from him after this season and use his cap space to upgrade their roster around Luka Doncic.

Missing opening day and starting the season with an injury that happened over two and a half months ago and won’t even be re-evaluated for another month is not how LeBron James envisioned starting his 41st NBA season.
That LeBron has managed to remain a top-10 player in the league despite his looming age and unprecedented mileage is a physical and mental miracle but Father Time may finally have started to take down the King.

The new of LeBron’s injury has ignited a firestorm of ideas of what could happen. Could LeBron have played his last game as a Laker? One source warns James could even demand a trade if LA gets off to terrible start.
There are four realistic outcomes for LeBron James this season. He could stay and retire a Laker, stay and re-sign with Lakers, stay and become a free agent, or request to be traded to another NBA team before the deadline.

The sciatica injury only confirmed the Lakers were correct when they decided that this season would be LeBron James last in purple and gold. Even LA winning the championship could probably not change that.

Instead of chasing big name stars with bigger salaries, the Lakers would be wise to trade Austin Reaves, four one-way players, and a first round pick for four affordable two-way rising stars who better complement Luka Doncic.

The Lakers have an opportunity to trade five one-way players in Reaves, Hachimura, Knecht, Vincent, and Kleber and a first round pick for four young two-way guards and wings in Wiggins, Murray, Mitchell, and Ellis. The trade would let the Lakers to do for Doncic what the Thunder did for Gilgeous-Alexander by surrounding their young superstar point guard with multiple young, long, physical defenders instead of a high paid superstar.

For practical purposes, the last CBA killed the ‘Three Superstar’ model and the current CBA is working to do the same to the ‘Two Superstar’ model. The Lakers need to copy OKC’s ‘One Superstar’ roster building blueprint.
It’s near impossible to build a championship team with multiple max salary players under the new CBA. The punitive taxes and competitive penalties have basically hard capped 3 teams at second apron and 17 at first apron.

Unless Antetokounmpo or Jokic want to force their way to the Lakers, Pelinka should focusing on using their tradable young talent and draft capital to acquire affordable young two-way players to optimize Luka.
Rob’s three biggest trading chips are Austin Reaves, who could be worth as much as three draft picks for the right team, their unprotected first round draft pick, and more than $40 million in tradable expiring contracts.

The Lakers don’t need Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic. They need to copy the Thunder’s ‘One Superstar’ blueprint for a talented deep, diverse, young team with defensive game-changing speed, length, and athleticism.

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THE BLOCKBUSTER LAKERS TRADE

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This proposed blockbuster trade has the Lakers sending Reaves and Knecht to the Kings for Murray and Ellis and sending Hachimura, Vincent, Kleber, and an unprotected first round pick to the Heat for Wiggins and Mitchell.

In total, the Lakers are sending out five players earning $58.8 million per year, bringing back four players earning $53.4 million per year, leaving the them with $5.4 million under first apron to fill their two open roster spots.
The blockbuster trade would transform the Lakers from a second tier Western Conference team heavily loaded with one-way offensive players to a first tier West team with excellent balance between offense and defense.

The only problem with the proposed trade is that Mitchell is not eligible to be traded until January 15th, which could mean the Lakers make the Kings trade before season starts and wait until January to make the Heat trade.
Hopefully, Reaves and Knecht would satisfy the Kings and Hachimura, Vincent, Kleber, and an unprotected first would be enough for the Heat. If not, the Lakers could sweeten their offer with a swap or second round pick.

While trading Reaves would be a hard pill for the fans to swallow, the Lakers would still be able to offer two first round picks next summer on draft day and a trade could realistically end up helping Austin’s career.
The problem is Reaves has simply outplayed and outgrew his job with the Lakers. It’ll be interesting to see how he would do as a team’s #1 or #2 star since he averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists as #3 option.

The Lakers get four young promising two-way players, the Kings get a young rising star in Austin Reaves to build around, and the Heat get an unprotected first round pick and over $40 million in expiring contracts.

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WHY LOS ANGELES LAKERS MAKE TRADE

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The Lakers make the trade because it lets them surround their superstar point guard Luka Doncic with a deep, talented two-way roster like the Thunder did with their superstar point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Before the blockbuster trade, Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt were probably the only two Lakers good enough on defense to be classified as legitimate two-way players. The rest were all one-way offensive players.
With the trade, the Lakers were able to add four young, budding two-way point-of-attack players with all-defensive potential in wings Andrew Wiggins and Keegan Murray and guards Keon Ellis and Davion Mitchell.

The Lakers post-trade nine-man rotation would include superstars Doncic and James, starting center Ayton surrounded by six defense-first two-way guards/wings in Smart, Vanderbilt, Wiggins, Murray, Ellis, and Mitchell.
The trade would leave the Lakers with 13 players and cap space under the first apron to sign a minimum salary third power forward and center, though they’d be limited to minimum salary players like Kevin Love.

Trading a beloved home grown star like Austin Reaves is just the team’s brain overruling its heart. As great as Austin is as a player and teammate, he’s more valuable to the Lakers right now as trading chip than third star.
Doncic and Reaves might become a championship backcourt given time but right now Austin is obviously not the ideal defensive fit with Luka and the Lakers need to cash in his two-plus-draft-picks value as a trading chip.

Bottom line, the Lakers make the trade because surrounding Luka Doncic with players who can shoot the three and defend multiple positions is the proven blueprint for how teams win championships in today’s NBA.

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WHY SACRAMENTO KINGS MAKE TRADE

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The Kings make the trade because Austin Reaves gives them what they do not have, which is a legitimate high-character, highly-coveted rising young star whom they could build around or flip later for valuable draft capital.

The sad reality is the Sacramento Kings are the worst run franchise in the NBA. They’ve made the playoffs just once in last 20 years and won their only championship 75 years ago in 1951 as the Rochester Royals of NY.
The Kings should immediately go into full tank mode as they’re stuck with a 2-year $95 million untradable contract for 30-year old Zach LaVine and 2-year $50 million untradable contract for 36-year old DeMar DeRozan.

Realistically, the Kings would be smart to consider accelerating their tanking and rebuilding by waiving and stretching LaVine and DeRozan like the Milwaukee Bucks did with Lillard and the Phoenix Suns did with Beal.
Trading for Reaves this summer could then put the Kings in great position to possibly flip Austin at the deadline as his trade value could soar as high as three first round picks for a contender desperate for a major upgrade.

The Kings should firmly commit to a total tank and complete rebuild before the season starts. They should trade Murray and Ellis for Reaves and Knecht and then start Schroder, Reaves, Clifford, Raynaud, and Sabonis.
Besides improving their odds of landing a high pick in what should be a stellar 2026 NBA Draft, the Kings would give their fans a fresh new look with an exciting young team led by Austin Reaves and Domantas Sabonis.

The Kings make the trade for Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht because it gives them a legitimate rising young star in Reaves to pair with Domantas Sabonis in a partial rebuild or to flip for more picks in a complete rebuild.

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WHY MIAMI HEAT MAKE TRADE

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The Miami Heat make the trade because they get an unprotected Lakers’ first round pick, $40 million in expiring contracts to open up valuable cap space, and three new players whose 3-point shooting creates spacing.

Pat Riley has major decisions to make regarding the Heat’s plans going forward after last season’s Jimmy Butler fiasco. Like the Kings, the Heat are also projected to further slide down the Eastern Conference standings.
While Miami is unlikely to do a total rebuild, the Heat needed to move on from Andrew Wiggins. Giving up a talented but small Davion Mitchell hurts but getting back three quality rotation players and a pick eases the pain.

What Riley needs more than anything at this point in time is optionality. He gets three players whom he can re-sign, flip in a trade at the deadline, or let walk for nothing to create space under the first apron to sign free agents.
The Heat currently own tradable 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032 first round picks, which means they could offer a total of five first round draft picks should Giannis become available at the trade deadline or next summer.

The challenge for the Heat in trading for Antetokounmpo or any max contract superstar is being able to hold onto Adebayo and still come up with enough in tradable salaries to match Giannis’ $60 million per year.
While there will be major competition to trade for Antetokounmpo, the Heat understand that they’re going to need more than the four first round picks they have if they’re going to be a legitimate contender to sign him.

The Heat make the trade because Vincent, Hachimura, and Kleber make their roster more versatile and competitive and the Lakers’ unprotected first round pick allows Miami to improve a potential offer for Giannis.

While their front office appears unchanged under the pending ownership of Mark Walter, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers have made five strategic moves that confirm the franchise is going all-in this year to win a championship.

Unlike prior season-opening press conferences where the Lakers’ future was in flex, this year’s event was a literal confirmation of positivity and confidence generated by Luka’s superb conditioning and EuroBasket play. Missing were any dissents about waiting until the trade deadline next February to make needed changes or saving their one tradable first round draft pick for the future. All the talk for once was just about this season.

Rob Pelinka suddenly appears supremely confident that the Lakers can launch the Luka Doncic and JJ Redick era plus maybe even extend the LeBron James era a few years by winning this season’s championship.
While never taking their eye off the long game, the Lakers are feeling giddy right now about how wide open the coming season is and how this could realistically be their best opportunity to win a championship this decade.

The Lakers know they still need an elite starting 3&D small forward and a proven shot-blocking backup defensive center but they also want to see how the current roster does, especially Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
Unlike recent seasons where L.A.’s front office was paralyzed by a lack of consensus and fear of mistakes, Rob Pelinka finally seems to have received unanimous support from the entire front office to go all-in to win this year.

So let’s take a deep dive into the five strategic moves the Lakers have made for the coming season and why those moves clearly confirm the franchise has decided to go all-in to win the 2026 championship for Luka and LeBron.

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1. DEMAND CHAMPIONSHIP CONDITIONING

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Championship caliber professional sports teams understand next season truly starts the minute the last season ends because that’s when players and teams have to commit to making the changes necessary to get better.

After an exhausting regular season and disappointing playoffs, JJ Redick challenged his players and demanded they dedicate the current offseason to coming into training camp this fall in true championship condition.
While not specifically targeting Luka, JJ knew his challenge and demand would only increase Doncic’s determination and motivation to get back into the elite shape and condition he was in the NBA Finals two years ago.

Luka not only accepted JJ’s offseason challenge but underwent an extreme physical makeover to return to the thinner, better conditioned superstar who averaged 33.9/9.2/9.8 and led Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals vs. Boston. Redick is not only thrilled with how the team has responded to coming into camp in championship condition but is now expanding that challenge and demand to include building championship habits and communications.

There’s a different vibe coming from the Lakers right now than we’ve seen in recent seasons. The Doncic trade, extension, makeover, and EuroBasket performance have lit a fire like we haven’t seen before in this front office.
Make no mistake. Luka coming into training camp in the same great shape he was in two years ago when he took the Mavericks to the NBA Finals is what is triggering the Lakers to finally go all-in on this team to win a title.

Successfully demanding every player, including superstar Luka Doncic, come into this training camp in championship condition was the first strategic move that confirms the Lakers are going all-in this season.

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2. EXTEND HEAD COACH JJ REDICK

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While Luka Doncic is their superstar and Mark Walter their owner of the future, the Lakers signed JJ Redick to an extension that will pay him $45 million and lock him up for next 5 years as the Lakers’ coach of the future.

While it’s unusual for a team to extend the contract of a rookie head coach, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers wanted to reward JJ Redick for doing a great job winning 50 games and finishing third in the difficult Western Conference.
By securing both their superstar and coach of the future, the Lakers are prioritizing greater stability and continuity for both players and coaches, which is something that’s been missing during LeBron’s years in L.A.

The real reason the Lakers signed head coach JJ Redick to this extension is Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka, and Mark Walter believe he’s the voice and vision of the future who will guide the franchise into its next era of greatness.
Lakers’ exceptionalism hasn’t been limited to just superstar players. Their success has also been due to legendary head coaches like Bill Sharman, Pat Riley, and Phil Jackson, whose styles and philosophies won championships.

There’s no question the Lakers’ front office views JJ Redick as their next legendary coach, ala Pat Riley or Phil Jackson. Just like the Celtics locked up a young Brad Stevens, the Lakers have locked up a young JJ Redick.
JJ is the missing piece to the Lakers franchise brain trust and a perfect fit for the collaborative management style Buss and Pelinka prefer. The Lakers have now added Mark Walter’s financial and JJ Redick’s basketball genius.

Extending JJ Redick’s contract as the Lakers’ head coach of the future was the second strategic move that confirms the Lakers are going all-in to win the 2026 NBA Championship with Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

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3. OPTIMIZE LUKA, LEBRON, & AUSTIN

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On paper, a Lakers’ Big Three of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves should be an unstoppable offensive juggernaut. On court, JJ Redick faces a urgent challenge to figure out how to optimize the three stars.

Last season, the Lakers’ Big Three of Luka, LeBron, and Austin posted a 117.8 offensive rating and 117.7 defensive rating for a disappointing +0.1 net rating in 21 regular season games and 423 minutes on court together.
In last year’s playoffs, the Lakers’ Big Three struggled at both ends of the court and posted a 109.4 offensive rating and 117.2 defensive rating for a poor -7.7 net rating in 5 playoff games and 140 minutes on court together.

The challenge coach Redick faces in trying to make the Big Three of Luka, LeBron, and Austin work is transforming the redundancy of their skillsets into an advantage rather than a disadvantage because there’s only one ball.
Due to similar skillsets, the ideal utilization of Luka, LeBron, and Austin would be for the Lakers to always have two of them on the court for all 48 minutes of the game but that would only work with Reaves off the bench.

Redick believes the key to successfully unlocking the Lakers’ Big Three of Luka, LeBron, and Austin offensively is designing plays where all three are engaged in functions that force the opposing team to account for them.
Starting Marcus Smart for Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton for Jaxson Hayes will help defensively but Redick needs to prove the Big Three can work or Austin Reaves may find himself suddenly on the trading block.

Committing to optimize their Big Three of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves was the third strategic move the Lakers have embraced that confirms the team is going all-in to win their 18th NBA championship.

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4. TRADE PICKS TO FILL HOLES

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The Lakers sudden willingness to trade their one tradable pick for player(s) who could elevate them to championship caliber is another strategic move that confirms the Lakers are going to go all-in to win the championship.

Even after trading for Luka, the Lakers’ strategy had still been to keep their one tradable first round pick so they could offer three picks on draft day next summer, when Giannis and Joker could become available via trade.
Changing that strategy to being willing to trade the pick to get better right now only confirms that the Lakers believe they can win it all this year. The question now becomes whom are they going to use the pick to trade for?

The Lakers’ willingness to trade their one tradable first round pick now makes Pelinka’s challenge to upgrade the team’s roster to championship caliber not only easier but also opens up new ranges of opportunities.
Should the right opportunity present itself, Rob could also include the Lakers 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032 first round pick swaps or their 2032 second round pick. Or he could save them for draft day next summer.

Right now, the only thing that’s certain is the Los Angeles Lakers need to pull off a blockbuster consolidation trade before the deadline to swap over $40 million in expiring contracts for players with at least two-year deals.
They must do that not only to free themselves from their current frozen cap situation and open up roster spots and space under the first apron but also acquire coveted players and expiring contracts to trade next summer.

Committing to being willing to trade their only tradable first round draft pick was the fourth strategic move that strongly confirms the Los Angeles Lakers have decided to go all-in to win this year’s NBA Championship.

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5. LIMIT TRIAL RUN TO 23 GAMES

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The final strategic move that confirms the Los Angeles Lakers are going all-in this season to win an NBA Championship was Rob Pelinka limiting the current roster’s season-opening trial run to the first 20 to 25 games.

Ironically, from the October 21st season opener to the December 7th final game before the NBA Cup Tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers play 23 games, which neatly fits the 20 to 25 game trial before making any trades.
That Pelinka does not want to wait until the February 4, 2026 trade deadline to make a trade is a sign that the Lakers already know what has to be done and are not going to sit patiently waiting before making needed trades.

Waiting until early December 2025 would cost the Lakers 23 games or 28% of the regular season. Waiting until early February 2066 would cost them 47 games or 58% and leave them with just 35 games or just 42% of the season.
The Lakers know how hard it is to integrate new players into the rotation after a major midseason trade. They prefer any blockbuster trade to be made early in the season rather than waiting for the February deadline.

It will be interesting to see who ends up starting for the Lakers and who shines and who stumbles in these first 23 games. Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Deandre Ayton will likely be under the most pressure.
The Lakers still need an elite 3&D starting small forward like Andrew Wiggins and a proven rim protecting defensive backup center like Robert Williams III but could also target stars like Herb Jones or Dillon Brooks.

The Lakers believe they’re only a starting wing and backup center from competing for a championship. Limiting the current roster’s trial run to just 23 games is the fifth sign the Lakers are going all-in this season.

Bottom line, the Los Angeles Lakers are an elite starting 3&D wing and legitimate backup rim-protecting center from being a legitimate contender for the 2026 NBA championship and must immediately fix those issues.

We sometimes forget as Rob Pelinka dings us to death with moves on the margin that the Lakers always think big. Remember the JJ Redick, Luka Doncic, and Mark Walter transactions that transformed the franchise? What I’m hoping is the Lakers continue these bold sweeping moves and pull off a blockbuster late offseason or midseason trade to land an elite 3&D starting wing and alpha shot-blocking backup defensive center.

The immediate question is how then are the Lakers going to pull off this blockbuster trade for two impactful players? We already know Pelinka has been reluctant for good reason to trade their only first round draft pick.
The benefit of retaining their only first round pick is it would allow the Lakers to offer three first round picks in a mega trade next draft day when superstars Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo could be available.

The solution that lets the Lakers trade for the elite 3&D starting wing and alpha shot-blocking backup center they need and still keep their draft capital is trading Austin Reaves, who’s worth at least two first round picks.
Trading Reaves would be a bold move but would also eliminate the risk of overpaying him based on the team’s need or losing him for nothing in free agency. Opportunity knocks: now is the time to cash in on Austin Reaves.

Trading Austin Reaves now is the smart move that will enable the Lakers to land their needed elite starting 3&D wing and alpha backup rim protecting center to dramatically improve their defense without sacrificing the future.

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1. Trade for Andrew Wiggins and Mitchell Robinson

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The New York Knicks are at a crossroads with injury-prone talented backup center Mitchell Robinson who wants a $60-70 million extension and with a Jalen Brunson dominated offense that needs to become more diverse.

Enter the Los Angeles Lakers with a blockbuster offer of Austin Reaves, the perfect backcourt mate for Jalen Brunson, in return for Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Clarkson, and the Knicks 2026 unprotected first round draft pick.
The Lakers then move the Knicks’ first round pick to the Heat along with Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, and Dalton Knecht for Andrew Wiggins. The Lakers add three players plus an open roster spot and save $4.2 million.

The Lakers give up 4 players including Austin Reaves, the best player in the trade, in return for 3 players, including the needed elite 3&D starting wing Andrew Wiggins and alpha shot-blocking backup center Mitchell Robinson. The trade cannot be completed until October 7th when Jordan Clarkson becomes eligible to be traded. Clarkson is the bonus on the trade as the former 6MOY would be a massive offensive upgrade coming off the bench.

The Knicks avoid the risk of overpaying an injury-prone older Mitchell Robinson or losing him to free agency for nothing and are able to land the perfect backcourt mate in Austin Reaves to share Jalen Brunson’s workload.
Landing Reaves, whose value is considered to between two and three first round picks gives the Knicks the ability to be multi-dimensional on offense and not to overwork Brunson, especially during the long regular season.

The Lakers go all-in before season to win the NBA championship by trading Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, and Dalton Knecht for Heat’s Andrew Wiggins and Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson and Jordan Clarkson.

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2. Trade for Herb Jones and Robert Williams III

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The New Orleans Pelicans are a mess. Zion Williamson can’t stay healthy, Brandon Ingram has been traded, and this is likely the season that decides whether the Pelicans ultimately give up and commit to a complete rebuild.

On July 15, the Pelicans rewarded All-Defensive First Team Herb Jones by giving him an team friendly 3-year $68 million extension to the 2-year $28 million left on his contract, essentially making him a coveted trade target.
In many ways, what the Pelicans have successfully done with Herb Jones is what the Lakers unfortunately failed to accomplish with Jarred Vanderbilt, which is transform a backup POA wing into a legitimate starting 3&D wing.

Enter the Lakers with a blockbuster offer of Austin Reaves for Herb Jones and a second round pick with Reaves as the perfect dynamic young star to give Zion and the Pelicans a last realistic shot to become a winning team.
The Lakers then move the Pelican’s second round pick along with Maxi Kleber and Dalton Knecht to the Trailblazers for Robert Williams III, who would then become the team’s alpha rim-protecting backup center.

The Lakers give up 3 players including Austin Reaves, the best player in the trade, in return for 2 players, including the needed elite 3&D starting wing Herb Jones and alpha shot-blocking backup center Robert Williams III.
The trade cannot be completed until January 15th, when Herb Jones becomes eligible to be traded. The Lakers would also have to make another midseason trade to open up cap space under the first apron to add players.

The Lakers go all-in at trade deadline to win the 2026 NBA championship trading home-grown star Austin Reaves, Maxi Kleber, and Dalton Knecht for the Pelicans’ Herb Jones and the Trailblazers’ Robert Williams III.

Luka Doncic used the shock of being traded to the Lakers and criticism of his defense and conditioning to motivate him to make the coming season the best of his career and win his first MVP award and championship ring.

There’s no shortage of wild cards when it comes this Lakers team winning an NBA championship but nothing in the purple and gold universe matters more than hearing how a driven Luka Doncic was dominating EuroBasket. While Germany finally ended Slovenia’s EuroBasket run, Luka Doncic was clearly the best player in the tournament both offensively and defensively. He led the EuroBasket tournament with 34 points and 3.2 steals per game.

While the Lakers hope LeBron can still beat up Father Time, Reaves can raise his ceiling to All-Star, and Ayton can actually learn to play winning basketball, they know their championship hopes rest on Luka’s shoulders.
Seeing the slimmed down version of Luka was promising but watching how better conditioning has transformed his game offensively and defensively is simply astonishing. This is a smoother more polished version of Luka.

In EuroBasket, Luka seemed to be totally in charge and under control, splitting double teams and getting into the paint with ease and making midrange jumpers and floaters or drawing fouls and making free throws.
A career 75% free throw shooter who averages 8 free throw attempts per game, this version of Luka is getting to the line 13.3 times per EuroBasket game and making 12.3 free throws per game for an 89% free throw rate.

Luka’s world-best EuroBasket play immediately raises quixotic visions of him winning the regular season MVP and then crowning even that success with an elite dominant postseason that leads the Lakers to a championship.

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HOW OFTEN HAS A PLAYER WON MVP & CHAMPIONSHIP?

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The NBA is the top superstar driven pro sports league. In 70 seasons since the league began honoring the Most Valuable Player, a player has won both the regular season MVP and Championship 25 times or 35% of the time.

The most recent example was last season when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, won both the 2025 Most Valuable Player and 2025 NBA Championship.
Ironically, SGA was first since Curry in 2015 to win both MVP and ring.
Winning the MVP and a championship ring in the same year is special because a player was able to lead his team to dominate the regular season and elevate their game to a higher championship level in the postseason.

Historically, there’s around a 35% chance that the team with the regular season MVP will be the team that ultimately wins the NBA championship, although the percentage over the last 10 seasons has been much lower.
The 15 NBA players who won both regular season MVP and championship in the same year include Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, LeBron James, Larry Bird, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who have accomplished it multiple times.

The 5 early favorites to win the 2025–26 MVP award in order are the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards.
The 5 early favorite teams to win the 2026 NBA Championship in order are the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets. The Los Angeles Lakers were #6.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic appear to be three most likely superstars who have a realistic chance to win both the regular season Most Valuable Player award and a championship ring this season.

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WHY LUKA WINNING MVP RAISES LAKERS’ TITLE ODDS!

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Luka Doncic defeating Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo for the NBA MVP award might be the single thing that could dramatically raise the Lakers’ odds of winning the championship.

While winning MVP is not a guarantee the same team is going to win the NBA Championship like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder did last season, the award always goes to a legitimate championship contender.
Considering the parity dominating the league right now, one could argue that the winner of the 2026 NBA Championship will likely be the team whose face-of-the-franchise superstar generated the best MVP season.

Luka Doncic has taken the shock of being traded and thrown under the bus by Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks as a harsh wakeup call that he’s answered by getting into elite physical shape and playing better than ever.
Now 26-years old and a 7-year veteran who’s never won an MVP or played in the NBA Finals, Luka Doncic is committed to elevating his game to new heights and becoming the best possible version of himself right now.

It’s as if Luka has suddenly realized he wasted the first 7 years of his NBA career in Dallas. Now that he’s in L.A. he’s not going to repeat that mistake. When it comes to winning right now, Luka’s right there with LeBron.
With Luka playing like EuroBasket’s MVP and best defender, new reports say the Lakers are now willing to make an offseason trade for a wing like Andrew Wiggins before the start of the season instead of at the deadline.

Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick have been watching how Luka Doncic has been choreographing and masterminding the heroic Slovenian EuroBasket run. Next step: Regular season MVP. Then: Lakers 18th NBA Championship.