Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Ayton, Bronny

LeBron James‘ future, whether with the Lakers or elsewhere, has been speculated on throughout the course of the season, and one prediction appears to be gaining traction.

According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, there is widespread talk about James returning to the Cavaliers for a final reunion with his hometown team.

“I don’t know if LeBron knows what he’s going to do,” MacMahon said on NBA Today, as relayed by RealGM. “I certainly don’t know what he’s going to do. I know what the rampant speculation is around the league and that is this summer there’s going to be a reunion and potentially a retirement tour for the ages back home again with the Cleveland Cavaliers next year.”

While the financial realities of adding James could be complicated for the Cavs, he would fit a positional need, as Cleveland has long struggled to find a permanent wing starter to play between Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.

James has also been linked to the Warriors and Knicks, though other teams would surely have interest if he became available on the free agent market.

We have more from the Lakers:

• James added another record to his collection on Thursday, becoming the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The record had previously been held by Karl Malone, who was 40 years and 127 days old when he accomplished the feat. James was 41 years and 44 days old on Thursday as he put together a 28-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double and led Los Angeles to a 124-104 victory over the Mavs. “To be able to do it and get the win is, that means more to me than anything,” James said. “But I’m very blessed to play this game, play it at a high level.”
• Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers just over a year ago, a move that has had massive implications for the franchise — notably, switching from a team built around James’ timeline to one built around Doncic’s, writes Kevin Pelton for ESPN. Pelton notes that this year’s record of 32-21 is not dissimilar to the team’s record last year, when they were 32-19 after winning the first game of the Doncic era. But while the team’s record and the Slovenian star’s statistical production might not be vastly different from their pre-trade levels, some of the teambuilding approach has shifted to be more future-facing. Pelton writes that, after previously being very aggressive to put complementary pieces around James, the team has chosen not to send out first-round picks since the voided Mark Williams deal collapsed. They are prioritizing flexibility, and will head into the 2026/27 season with just four players on guaranteed deals: Doncic, Dalton Knecht, Jake LaRavia, and Jarred Vanderbilt, though Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart hold player options.
• Doncic remains day-t0-day for the Lakers with a left hamstring injury, with his status for Sunday’s All-Star game still unclear, Benjamin Royer writes for the OC Register. “He’s progressed really good,” coach JJ Redick said of the decision to sit him on Thursday’s game against the Mavericks. “I think part of him, you know, wanted to push to get back part of the break, but, you know, we just got to be cautious with the soft tissue injuries … We all feel comfortable with the decision to hold him out and should be good to go post-All-Star (break).” Redick declined to comment on whether Doncic needed to check off certain recovery boxes before he could suit up for Sunday’s festivities.
• Ayton underwent imaging due to the lingering right knee soreness that has caused him to miss the last two games for Los Angeles, reports Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). The tests came back clean, and Woike writes that the Lakers are hopeful that the time off will allow him to recover and return to play following the All-Star break.
• Bronny James‘ counting stats might not look wildly different in year two than they did in his rookie season, but he can feel his own growth when he’s on the court, Royer writes in a separate piece. “(I) feel different. Feel way more comfortable,” Bronny said. “My teammates believe in me, my coaches believe in me. That’s all I’ve wanted. It’s just good to get out there and take advantage of the minutes I get.” James had his best game of the season on Tuesday, recording 12 points and six assists in 25 minutes and even taking some matchups against Victor Wembanyama that impressed Redick. “In terms of the physicality we wanted on defense, he had two really good possessions in the first half against Wemby,” Redick said. While his shot has been much more efficient this season, James knows that if he wants to carve out a role on this Lakers team, it will start on the defensive end.