Whose Team Is It Now? Doncic Owns the Lakers, Contracts and…

By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Saturday, September 26

Luka Doncic spent last season putting up 33.5 points a night as the second act of a two-star Lakers backcourt. LeBron James is gone to Philadelphia now, and Rob Pelinka calls the split amicable, which leaves one name carrying the whole marquee.

Luka Doncic of the Lakers — Luka Doncic. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Case For

Last season the Lakers went 53-29 with an offense that ranked 10th in the league, built on Doncic's 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 36.6 percent shooting from three. Austin Reaves added 23.3 points a night, and Walker Kessler, in his five games, shot 75.0 percent from three while pulling down 10.8 rebounds. Lakers Nation reported that Pelinka called Doncic the league's "world's greatest offensive player," and Kessler's arrival was meant to fix a defense that finally has size protecting the rim.

The Case Against

The defense ranked 19th of 30 teams last season, and the net rating was 1.5, good for only 14th in the league. Payroll is above the $200.4 million tax line against a $165.0 million cap, and the front office is trying to stay under the $209.0 million apron. Little draft capital remains to fix mistakes: a protected 2027 first owed to Memphis, a 2029 first owed outright to Dallas, and swaps stacked into 2028 and 2030. Camp has not gone smoothly enough to skip roster churn either: Anton Watson signed an Exhibit 10 deal on September 17 and was gone from the roster within a day, while Chase Ross and Meechie Johnson signed similar deals and are still on a 21-man roster looking for its final cuts.

Where It Lands

LeBron's exit made it official: this is Doncic's team, full stop, with Reaves, Kessler and Grimes built around him rather than around a second star. Lakers Nation reported that Pelinka has compared the season to "The Odyssey," and the comparison fits a roster chasing an 18th championship with less margin for error than last season's record suggested. The answer is yes, it can contend, but only for as long as Doncic plays like the best offensive player alive, because the roster and the tax bill behind him leave no room to replace him.

Is this Luka Doncic's team now that LeBron James is gone?

Yes. LeBron James left in free agency for the 76ers, and Rob Pelinka has built the roster around Doncic, who is entering his first full season in Los Angeles.

Are the Lakers over the luxury tax for 2026-27?

Their payroll sits above the $200.4 million tax line against a $165.0 million salary cap, and the front office is working to stay under the $209.0 million apron.

By the Lakers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.