Lakers Hand Leadership to Doncic and Reaves as LeBron James Departs for Philadelphia

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are stepping into larger leadership roles for the Los Angeles Lakers this season after LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, left the organization following an eight-season stint to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to beIN Sports. Doncic and Reaves are now positioned to shoulder more of the load the Lakers have leaned on James for over the better part of a decade.

Doncic addressed his expanded role directly at Lakers media day, according to Associated Press coverage carried by Fox Sports and TSN. "It feels great," Doncic said. "Obviously it's a new challenge. I was in this position in my career a lot of times, so it's not new to me."

Doncic ran things at Real Madrid as a teenager, then led the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals alongside Kyrie Irving before getting traded to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, according to Lakers Nation. He's done this before. The difference now is the possibility of headlining without James sharing the marquee.

The numbers back up the shift

Doncic led the NBA in scoring last season at 33.5 points per game, finished third in assists at 8.3, and shot 47.6% from the field, according to the LA Times. His three-year, $165 million contract extension officially kicked in this season.

Reaves, now the longest-tenured player on the Lakers roster following James' departure, signed a four-year deal this summer. The LA Times reported the contract at $180 million, while Lakers Nation and beIN Sports put the figure at roughly $184.7 million to $185 million. All sources agree it's the largest contract ever given to a player who went undrafted. Reaves earned it by posting career highs of 23.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season.

A near-total roster overhaul

Nine of the sixteen players on the Lakers' NBA contracts are new, according to Fox Sports and TSN. General manager Rob Pelinka laid out the offseason plan to Lakers Nation: retain Reaves, land a "franchise center," and surround Doncic with younger, versatile shooters and passers.

The centerpiece of that plan is Walker Kessler, acquired from the Utah Jazz. beIN Sports reported the Lakers gave up two unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps to get him, then signed him to a four-year, $130 million contract. Doncic said he pushed hard for the trade. "I've played a lot of games against Walk," he told Fox Sports. "It was always tough to play against him. I think it's an amazing fit for us."

The rest of the additions—Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Jaden Hardy, according to Fox Sports and TSN—pushed the roster's average age down to around 26 or 27, per Pelinka's comments to Lakers Nation. That's a deliberate bet on building a long-term core around Doncic instead of chasing one more year with an aging star.

Health, ownership, and the goal Doncic set out loud

Doncic hasn't played in an NBA game since April 2 after a hamstring injury limited him last season, according to the AP report carried by Fox Sports and TSN. He said he deliberately slowed his rehab over the summer to be fully cleared for training camp.

Beyond the roster, the franchise itself is reportedly changing hands. beIN Sports reported that Mark Walter, who had taken control of the Lakers just a year earlier, agreed to sell the team to a group led by former Disney CEO Bob Iger and businessman Joshua Kushner in a deal valued at $12.5 billion. That sale is pending NBA approval and has not yet been finalized as of this writing.

Doncic wasn't shy about what he expects from all of it. "Realistically, I would say the championship," he told beIN Sports. "If that's not your goal, I don't know what you're doing here." He added he'd like to win an MVP award eventually, but said that "won't happen if we're not good as a team."

The Lakers head into the season with a core built around two players who genuinely like each other, a first-year center acquired at real draft-pick cost, and a franchise sale still awaiting a league vote. Whether Doncic and Reaves can carry the load James provided for eight years is a question training camp won't answer. The regular season will.