Paul Pierce doesn’t see Luka Doncic, LeBron James fitting together

Paul Pierce doesn’t see Luka Doncic, LeBron James fitting together

If you told me 24 hours ago that LeBron James and Luka Doncic would’ve been teammates in the year before the end of the 2024-25, I would’ve said, “Of course, the All-Star game is in a couple of weeks! They’ll be teammates then!” If you followed up with them being actual teammates, I would’ve laughed hysterically.

Now, that’s reality. In the year of our lord 2025, Luka Doncic and LeBron James will be playing basketball together! On the same court for the same team! For more than just a laughingstock of an All-Star game!

Former 19-year veteran forward and Hall of Famer Paul Pierce chimed in Saturday night after it was announced, claiming that he doesn’t think James and Doncic will fit together.

LeBron and Luka I don’t see fitting

— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) February 2, 2025

To some extent, Pierce may be right because neither player complements the other–though they’re two of the most brilliant basketball players the league has ever seen. I trust they will figure it out, but the fit does become slightly more complicated with Austin Reaves thrown into the mix.

Right now, the Lakers’ roster is incredibly weird. Los Angeles already needed another big to play behind Anthony Davis before they traded, well, Anthony Davis.

Davis is one of the best defenders on the planet and was the backbone of their defensive structure, point blank. Jaxson Hayes is now the team’s starting center, and as brilliant as James and Doncic are, that’s not sustainable if the Lakers want to make a serious playoff run this year.

But this isn’t a move for this year–it’s for the next 10-15. You get Luka Doncic, who turns 26-years-old on Feb. 28, now and figure the rest out later. He’s perhaps the best possible answer for the, “What does the Lakers’ future look like without LeBron James?” question we’ve been asking.

NBA Players, social media explodes into frenzy after Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis blockbuster

There wasn’t much future with just Davis, who turns 32 in March. Doncic is now that future. He’s a superstar who has yet to enter his physical prime and still averaged 32-9-9 on 60.0 percent true-shooting in his three previous seasons. It shouldn’t matter what James and Doncic’s immediate fit is.

Doncic will no longer be eligible to sign a five-year supermax (worth $345 million), but he can still make north of $270 million through 2029-30 if he an inks extension this offseason and $296 million through 2030-31 if he waits until the summer of 2026. Not to mention, he will have crazy marketing opportunities in Los Angeles for endorsements.

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