Robert Horry doesn’t think it would necessarily be a good idea for the Los Angeles Lakers to pursue Luka Doncic. When Horry was asked on the Big Shot Bob Podcast about the report that surfaced last week, which claimed the Lakers want Doncic to lead their franchise once LeBron James retires, he stated that the Slovenian doesn’t fit the profile of player the team needs.
“You got to think about this, Luka is going to be how old (when his current deal expires)? Like 31, 32? … He ain’t the best defensive player now and that’s the Lakers problem.” Horry said. “You gotta have some athletic guys that can play some defense and Luka, he can score with the best of them, but we also know you gotta take beers out of his hand because he ain’t the one to stay in shape. He gonna be good but he ain’t gonna be what you need probably.”
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I think Horry got a fair bit wrong here. For starters, Doncic can become a free agent in 2026, when he’d be 27, by opting out of his $48.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season. Even if he was a couple of years older than that, teams would still be lining up for his services if he hit the market, because he’s just that good.
Secondly, for all this talk about Doncic being overweight and not a great defender, he still took the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season. Two years ago, he also led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals, so it’s not like you can’t have success in the postseason with him as the main man.
Put a good co-star and a solid supporting cast alongside Doncic and he’ll take you deep into the playoffs. That’s what happened last season when he had Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Derrick Jones Jr., and Dereck Lively II next to him.
So, if the Lakers are ever presented the opportunity to land Doncic, they should go for him, but I don’t think they will get that chance. The five-time All-Star will be eligible to sign a five-year, $346 million extension in 2025 and I don’t see him turning it down.
The Mavericks front office has surrounded Doncic with good pieces and he has no reason to move as such, especially to the Lakers. Their front office has not exactly done a great job in recent years and I know which one I’d trust if I wanted to win a championship.
Getting back to that report that triggered this whole conversation, Horry’s co-host Brandon Harper dismissed it. Harper felt this was just yet another case of a big star baselessly getting linked to the Lakers and predicts that Victor Wembanyama will get linked too, in a few years.
“We talked about it with Giannis (Antetokounmpo) a few years ago,” Harper said. “Now it’s Luka’s turn. At some point in time down the line, hell, it’s going to be Wemby… Give it two, three seasons especially if the Spurs aren’t doing anything or Wemby may not be ‘happy,’ you going to see his name connected to the Lakers. ‘All in on Wemby.'”
I don’t think anyone will be surprised if a report surfaces two years down the road that the Lakers want Wembanyama. It’s just a never-ending cycle with them at this point.
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