INGLEWOOD, Calif. — LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were still processing a series of emotions Tuesday, but managed to dial it in at the Intuit Dome to secure a 122-97 victory over the crosstown rival Clippers.
Those emotions were still raw for members of the team on the same day they welcomed Luka Donicic, who joined them on the bench for the first time.
“My emotions were all over the place Saturday,” James said while reflecting on the events that took place over the weekend. “We were coming off a huge win in the (Madison Square) Garden and I was out with my family at dinner and the first time I heard it I thought it was fake and that it was a hoax.”
It wasn’t until James received a Facetime call from Anthony Davis that there was a true understanding of how real everything was. The two had a lengthy discussion but even after the conversation things still didn’t feel real for the 40-year-old superstar.
“I’ve never seen this one,” James said about the situation. “I have seen it all up until this one. I’ve never been a part of a transaction like that. That was different.”
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Without his co-star with whom he won an NBA championship with in 2020, James produced 26 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in 31 minutes of play.
James cited that the roster changes still didn’t feel like his new reality until he saw Doncic in person.
Fourth-year guard Austin Reaves mentioned that it had been a tough couple of days because of the relationships he built with several of the players who had been traded away.
Reaves mentioned he’s leaned on veterans in the locker room like James to ask questions about having teammates who were no longer around and how he’s navigated his emotions throughout his career.
James remains committed to his role as the team’s leader and made it clear that he is willing to do whatever it takes to help Doncic succeed in Los Angeles.
Like most of the Lakers, Doncic is still “processing” what has transpired but still has his same overall career objective at the forefront.
“Win the championship,” Doncic said about his main objective as a Laker. “You don’t come here for nothing else but championships. I have everything left to prove and the goal is to win the championship.”
James had been spotted on the bench next to Doncic having a conversation and at times sharing a laugh.
“I’m really excited to be here,” Doncic said earlier in the day. “I get to play for the Lakers, not everybody can say that. Many, many legends played here with many, many championships. That’s pretty cool.”
If Doncic is successful in bringing a title to Los Angeles, it would be the 18th in the franchise’s history. The Lakers are currently second among teams in the league with the most titles, trailing the Boston Celtics.
Did Luka Doncic make his Lakers debut?
Doncic didn’t play for the Lakers on Tuesday, but an opportunity to play with the team before the NBA All-Star break was not completely ruled out.
The Lakers have three games remaining on the schedule before the break, but there will be an evaluation period with the newly acquired star before he puts on a Lakers uniform for an official game.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said Doncic will initially be listed as day-to-day and work with the Lakers’ medical team to work toward having the guard play in a game soon.
Doncic is expected to participate in 5-on-5 drills on Wednesday with the Lakers.
Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris were also sent to the Lakers as part of the trade. Kleber is dealing with a right ankle injury and was spotted with crutches and a walking boot on Tuesday morning. He is expected to have his surgically repaired foot re-evaluated in eight weeks.
Morris did suit up for the Lakers but did not record a statistic against the Clippers.
The Lakers remain in search of a big man
JJ Redick told reporters before the game that he’s open to making larger changes to the Lakers’ starting lineup after the team traded away two of their best-starting defenders (Anthony Davis and Max Christie). Redick said he and his staff will evaluate the entire group.
Jaxson Hayes started at center for the Lakers as the replacement for Davis. It was Hayes’ fifth start of the season. It remains unclear if Hayes will start at center the rest of the season but it isn’t completely out of the question.
Hayes finished with six points, six rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes of play.
While there’s a clear need for another quality big man on the roster, Pelinka hinted that a long-term solution may take more than the next few days before the trade deadline to discover.
‘We know we have a need for a big — the market for bigs right now leading into the last two or three days of the trade deadline is very dry,’ Pelinka said. ‘There’s just not a lot available. So maybe we’ll be able to do some stuff around the margins. I would say, in terms of a big move for that position, it’s probably more realistic that would be something that comes in the offseason.’
The Lakers have been tied to various centers across the league as potential trade targets, including Robert Williams III of the Portland Trail Blazers, Jonas Valanciunas of the Washington Wizards and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz.
‘We know that our roster has continued work to do to be complete,’ Pelinka said. ‘We’re going to build a roster that fits JJ Redick’s basketball philosophy.’
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