{"id":130971,"date":"2025-03-26T16:58:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T20:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=130971"},"modified":"2025-03-26T16:58:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T20:58:49","slug":"lebron-james-shock-lakers-luka-doncic-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/26\/lebron-james-shock-lakers-luka-doncic-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James Dishes On \u2018Shock\u2019 On Lakers-Luka Doncic Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles Lakers point guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luka Doncic<\/a>\u2019s trade was well over a month ago but it\u2019s still fresh on people\u2019s minds.<\/p>\n<h2>LeBron James Dishes On \u2018Shock\u2019 Lakers-Luka Doncic Trade<\/h2>\n<p>Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont and Mavericks president Nico Harrison have already stated their case for making the trade, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/15\/patrick-dumonts-statements-on-luka-trade-prove-his-ignorance\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">their comments controversial<\/a> to say the least.<\/p>\n<p>Former Mavs owner Mark Cuban can\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/24\/lakers-luka-doncic-born-be-los-angeles\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">wrap his mind around it<\/a> though. Former Mavs star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nowitdi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dirk Nowitzki<\/a>\u00a0still <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/17\/luka-doncic-trade-dirk\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">sounds sick about it too<\/a>. Current Mavs star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/irvinky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyrie Irving<\/a> has <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/26\/mavericks-kyrie-irving-defends-luka-doncic\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">made multiple statements<\/a> about it. Mavs head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kiddja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Kidd<\/a>, once traded by Dallas himself, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/25\/jason-kidd-luka-doncic-grow-up-fast\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">has relayed his thoughts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>During Tuesday\u2019s matchup against the New York Knicks, Mavericks CEO Rick Welts also gave this message to the fans:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTime \u2014wins and losses \u2014will tell whether this was a good deal or a bad deal. I\u2019m just going to promise to our fans right now, whatever trust we have lost\u2026 we\u2019re gonna earn it back.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Mavericks CEO Rick Wells:<br \/>\n\u201cThe trust we have lost, we\u2019re gonna earn it back. We\u2019re going to win Championships!\u201d<br \/>\nHe was interviewed during the game tonight vs. the New York Knicks. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HERR1kOWGo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/HERR1kOWGo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrBuckBuckNBA\/status\/1904713006451192109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to do this the right way and we\u2019re going to win championships!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Lakers superstar LeBron James made a live appearance on the <em>Pat McAfee Show<\/em> and had this to say:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t put myself in his shoes because I\u2019ve never been traded before.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cLuka Doncic committed to a franchise for seven years and that was his comfort..<\/p>\n<p>Out of nowhere you get traded and that\u2019s a shock to your system..<\/p>\n<p>I had to let him know that we\u2019ll figure it out because we need him to be who he is\u201d ~ <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KingJames<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PMSLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#PMSLive<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kPEIag0MID\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/kPEIag0MID<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PatMcAfeeShow\/status\/1904934765364490291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I can have a sense and be a human being to know you commit to a franchise for seven years and you feel like, this is the place I\u2019m going to be, this is my comfort\u2026 and then of nowhere you get traded.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026That\u2019s a shock to your system.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Confidence Builders<\/h3>\n<p>Doncic isn\u2019t the only Lakers player that needed a jump after the NBA trade deadline.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/knechda01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dalton Knecht<\/a>, the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, wasn\u2019t feeling quite like himself following <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/19\/stunned-mark-williams-failed-los-angeles-lakers-charlotte-hornets-trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">a voided deal<\/a> that would have sent him to the Charlotte Hornets. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/morrima02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Markieff Morris<\/a>, who James pushed to be included in the Doncic trade according to brother <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/morrima03.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marcus Morris<\/a>, was there <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/11\/lakers-rookie-dalton-knecht-peace-failed-trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">to provide the pick-me-up<\/a> in that instance.<\/p>\n<p>Morris may have shared the same message with Doncic. However, James has endeavored to make him as comfortable as possible too. \u201cHe has to fit out,\u201d he tells McAfee.<\/p>\n<h3>Role Reversal<\/h3>\n<p>James\u2019s words were more than sweet nothings.<\/p>\n<p>Similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wadedw01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dwyane Wade<\/a> giving him the keys to the Miami Heat, James has been playing more receiver than quarterback in order to help smooth the transition for Doncic. He\u2019s still arguably the best facilitator on the team, especially when factoring in his experience level. Nevertheless, his skillset and physical attributes give him an advantage as a play-finisher.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s worked out well thus far.<\/p>\n<div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"><iframe style=\"top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gBAGZHdRBDY?rel=0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>James is shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from 3 on passes from Doncic. In the 13 games they\u2019ve played together, Doncic has already assisted on 39 of James\u2019s field goals, the fifth-highest on the team. The prodigious playmaker is on pace bypass <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/russeda01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/a>\u2019s mark (43 assists) in 14 fewer games.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s all but a reversal of the roles that James had with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davisan02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Davis<\/a>. To that point, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/player\/2544\/passes-dash?PerMode=Totals&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=AST\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dished out 100 assists<\/a> to Davis this season alone, more helpers than he gave any teammate. With that in mind, the seasoned superstar did make sure to express his feelings about his former running mate:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI lost a dear friend and a great friend and champion duo with AD. You know, miss him to death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Doncic\u2019s trade was well over a month ago but it\u2019s still fresh on people\u2019s minds. LeBron James Dishes On \u2018Shock\u2019 Lakers-Luka Doncic Trade Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont and Mavericks president Nico Harrison have already stated their case for making the trade, their comments controversial to say the least. Former [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":130989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1608,30,62],"tags":[240,49212,38,1133,990,1382,50037],"class_list":["post-130971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakers","category-basketball","category-mavericks","category-nba","tag-anthony-davis","tag-dalton-knecht","tag-lebron-james","tag-luka-doncic","tag-markieff-morris","tag-nba-trade","tag-rick-welts"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130971"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130990,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130971\/revisions\/130990"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}