The Luka Doncic trade is one of the rare moments in sports history where everyone remembers exactly where they were or what they were doing when the news broke.
The moment the trade was announced, the Los Angeles Lakers became championship contenders.
They were already performing well, but when you add a consensus top 10 player who is about to enter his prime, expectations get ratcheted up just a bit.
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They finished as the third seed in the Western Conference and were heavily favored to make a run to the conference finals at the very least.
They matched up with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round and to everyone’s surprise except maybe Minnesota, the Lakers didn’t just lose, they got ran off the court.
They lost the series in just five games and now they are left scrambling to pick up the pieces of such a disappointing season.
Now that LeBron James is 40, every single season is a potential halting point for his career, but the rumors surrounding his name are very different.
It is expected that he will return for at least one more season, but there is speculation that he may choose to finish his career outside of Los Angeles.
It’s still unclear what the likelihood of James pursuing this path is, but the news came from one of the Lakers’ respected beat reporters, Jovan Buha, so there must be some validity.
The 21-time All-Star has a player option which opens a whole new can of worms for the Lakers, potentially losing their best player for nothing.
If James does end up leaving, then there isn’t a much better landing spot than the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He has already completed two separate stints in his hometown, but this one would be for his farewell tour.
The hardest hurdle to jump for this potential pairing would be the salary cap, but it is hard to believe that the Cavs wouldn’t move heaven and Earth to get their king back to the land.
They have an elite floor general in Darius Garland, a Bonafide robin in Donovan Mitchell and an extremely versatile wing in Evan Mobley.
For the first time in a long time, James would be able to cruise in the back seat and just enjoy the ride.
Cleveland has already built so much chemistry and synergy with this current iteration of the roster, so it is interesting to see if they would truly entertain a James reunion.
But if the return did happen, there is no doubt that the Cavs would become instant finals favorites.
