The idea of Dallas Mavericks superstar Luke Doncic eventually joining the Los Angeles Lakers is something that Magic Johnson is enthusiastically endorsing.
Max Kellerman interviewed Johnson on ESPN’s “First Take,” with Kellerman suggesting that Doncic would be a strong candidate to team with Anthony Davis once LeBron James retires.
“I’m not worried about Luka right now,” Johnson said. “We can’t worry about Luka right now. We’re talking about right now.”
Kellerman then indicated that Davis needed a superstar of James’ caliber for the Lakers to continue to thrive in the next decade, which resulted in Johnson openly recruiting the highly talented small forward to play for the Lakers.
“Aye that’s right, Luka come on to the Lakers, I like that,” Johnson said.
During his tenure in the Lakers’ front office, Johnson occasionally got in trouble over tampering concerns about players under contract with other teams.
However, that issue no longer exists after Johnson resigned from his executive position with the Lakers last year, allowing him to push for such a scenario openly.
The only problem with such conjecture is that the 35-year-old James remains at his peak and shows no signs of slowing down or offering hints of retirement.
In addition, Doncic is only two years into his first NBA contract and will be a restricted free agent when that deal concludes in 2022. That means the Mavericks would be able to match any deal that another team offers him or would seek to sign him to a long-term deal.
The 21-year-old Doncic has more than lived up to being the third overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, averaging 24.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in his first two seasons.
Such numbers offer a resemblance to what James delivered this past season for the Lakers. Yet, it’s clear that Johnson’s push currently exists only in fantasy and isn’t something that Lakers fans need to seriously consider anytime in the near future.
