The Lakers’ immediate move for a big man after Luka Dončić’s request was apparently something LeBron James took notice of.

Part of what made the Lakers’ moves around the trade deadline is how indecisive they had been in years prior. A lack of commitment to either going all-in or abandoning ship had the Lakers straddling the fence for more than a year, despite pleas from their stars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

However, not only did they make a commitment to the future with Luka Dončić, but While that deal would eventually be , the fact the Lakers appealed to Luka’s calls for a big were not lost on multiple people, including LeBron himself.

On Monday,  published an article diving into the week that was for the Lakers around the trade deadline. In it, he reported that LeBron’s camp certainly noticed the Lakers willingness to make a move on Luka’s behest.

What is clear is that Doncic will have a say. And it wasn’t lost on James’ camp, sources said, that Pelinka prioritized Doncic’s involvement upon his arrival and immediately engaged in the Williams trade that he’d asked for, when James had for years wanted the team to trade its picks to improve its roster.

The phrasing on this is…interesting. There’s certainly a history of LeBron being part of the Lakers’ roster decisions. And, memorably, it was

That move has served as turning point of sorts for the front office’s relationship with LeBron. Things went so bad with Russ that it certainly seems like LeBron is not nearly as involved in the decision-making anymore and that’s fair as the Lakers are still recovering from the deal.

While it’s understandable that LeBron might feel some type of way of asking for a move that the Lakers made as soon as Luka asked for it, I think this is a bit of the consequences of his own actions from asking for previous moves.

I also think that the wording of this probably makes this not something to worry much about. This wasn’t some decision the Lakers made that came at the cost of something LeBron asked. It would have helped him as much as it would have helped Luka.

All in all, it feels like much ado about nothing. This is one of those situations where LeBron is going to have to adjust to being the guy the Lakers aren’t building around anymore while Luka. The priority is making sure he resigns in 2026, a year in which LeBron very well could retire.

It’s not a spot LeBron has been in during his career but it’s one he’s going to have to adjust to if he’s going to remain on the Lakers to finish out his career.