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Dave McMenamin
LOS ANGELES — When LeBron James subbed out of the first quarter of Tuesday’s eventual 122-97 win over the Clippers and marched to his customary seat toward the end of the Lakers‘ bench, there was a new superstar teammate sitting next to him in the spot Anthony Davis occupied for years.
The NBA’s turnstile of talent landed Luka Doncic in L.A. over the weekend in a trade that sent shockwaves through the league. Only now — after initially believing the three-team trade among the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz was a “hoax,” and after processing not having Davis by his side after six seasons as teammates — is reality finally starting to set in for James.
“It still pretty much didn’t seem real until I saw Luka today and I saw a clip of AD at the Dallas shootaround,” James said after the game. “That’s when it finally hit me, like, ‘Oh s—, this is real.'”
The fact that James was making his first public comments about the trade in the Lakers locker room at Intuit Dome, the 22-year-veteran explained, was evidence of his acceptance of it.
“If I had concerns about it, I’d waive my no-trade clause and get up out of here,” James said. “I’m here right now. I’m here right now. I’m committed to the Lakers organization.
“As the leader of the team, as one of the captains of the team, it’s my job to make it as seamless as possible [for the new acquisitions].”
James detailed his late-night dinner after the Lakers’ win at the New York Knicks on Saturday, when he first heard the news of the team sending out Davis, Max Christie and Jalen Hood-Schifino and a future first-round pick to bring in Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.
“My emotions were all over the place, obviously,” James said. “We had just come off a big win. A huge win in the Garden. I was out. I mean, you guys have seen the report. I was out with my family at dinner and got the news and the first time I heard it, I thought it was for sure fake. I thought it was a hoax, people messing around or whatever. But then when AD called me, AD FaceTimed me and I talked to him for quite a while, and even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn’t seem real.”
Asked about the video call with Davis, James said: “It was definitely a weird, uncomfortable, truth moment for us. Just knowing that he was going to be gone, that was very, very difficult. Very challenging. I can see how in shock he was, obviously. And he probably saw it from my face, as well.”
James said the unprecedented swap initially caught him off guard — it was the first time in history two current All-NBA players were traded for one another midseason — but that he could understand the motivation for the Lakers.
“It was shocking when I heard the news, but at the end of the day, I understand the business of basketball,” he said. “But I didn’t make the decision.”
James’ chemistry with Davis was apparent from the very start, as they won a championship together their first season in 2019-20.
While some have suggested there will be a redundancy in positional responsibilities between him and Doncic, James scoffed at the notion.
“[We can be] whatever we want it to be,” James said. “It won’t take long. I can play with anybody, and I think he can, as well. So, we’ll work well together.”
James’ former coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tyronn Lue of the Clippers, said the same.
“I don’t see it’s going to be a problem at all,” Lue said. “[Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] will do a good job of staggering those guys, kind of like we did with Kyrie [Irving] and LeBron for three quarters and then close games together.
“It’s a not a tough problem to have.”
It’s the Lakers causing problems for opponents right now, with wins in nine of their past 11 games to climb to a game behind the No. 4 Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings. And that surge will soon feature the 25-year-old dynamo in Doncic, with sources telling ESPN that Doncic is “trending towards” making his Lakers debut om Saturday against the visiting Indiana Pacers.
“Luka’s been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said. “I think you guys know that. And I’ve always just tried to play the game the right way and inspire the next generation. And Luka happens to be one of them. And now, we’re teammates. So, it’ll be a very seamless transition.”