As much as we’d love to believe LeBron James can play forever, reality tells us otherwise.
The King is on his last leg, and he knows it.
That’s why he unloaded a 33-point triple-double on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, snapping New York’s five-game winning streak with a 128-112 Lakers victory.
Yes, he had to shoulder the load with Anthony Davis sidelined by an abdominal strain.
But this wasn’t just about stepping up in AD’s absence.
This was one of LeBron’s last games at The Garden, and the sense of urgency in his game said everything.
And then, almost immediately after the win — while James was reportedly out to dinner with his family — the Lakers quietly made a franchise-altering decision.
By late Saturday night, social media was on fire.
The Lakers had pulled off a blockbuster trade, sending Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick to Dallas in exchange for Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris.
A stunning, seismic move no one saw coming.
And LeBron James is its biggest winner — whether he stays in L.A. or joins a superteam in Dallas.
NOT CONVINCED ON LUKA
For all his offensive brilliance, the Mavericks were never fully convinced Dončić was their guy long-term.
Reports swirled immediately after the deal about his conditioning issues — he reportedly weighed as much as 270 pounds this season — and his indifference to defense.
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison has long maintained that defense wins championships.
So Dallas did what the Lakers couldn’t: build a roster that LeBron can’t refuse.
In one move, the Mavericks shipped out the best player in franchise history since Dirk Nowitzki and retooled for immediate contention.
They traded away a generational offensive talent for an oft-injured but dominant big man in Davis.
Possibly the boldest gamble in franchise history.
Davis is locked in for three more years on a $175 million extension that kicks in next season. Kyrie Irving is under contract for one more year, but after a move like this, an extension feels inevitable.
And now, the final piece is sitting right in front of them, though they will have to play the waiting game to get him: LeBron James, who could decline the player option on the final year of his deal to test free agency this summer.
HE KNEW
Let’s not pretend LeBron didn’t see this coming.
Reports confirm his agent, Rich Paul, knew about the trade 48 hours in advance.
And with Paul representing both James and Davis through Klutch Sports, it’s impossible to believe LeBron wasn’t consulted before the deal was finalized.
Davis, notably, didn’t travel with the team to New York, though this is common among players nursing an injury.
So while LeBron and the Lakers were preparing to take on the Knicks, their franchise-altering trade was already in motion.
The Lakers aren’t taking a step back — they’re taking a massive step forward. Just because the Mavericks didn’t believe they could build a true contender around Doncic doesn’t mean J.J. Redick and the Lakers don’t see championships in Luka’s future.
And LeBron? He now has options.
James has long wanted to play with Luka Dončić. Now, he gets to test the fit in L.A. before deciding on the final move of his career.
If the fit with Luka doesn’t work, LeBron can walk away this summer. And he can chase championship ring No. 5 in Dallas with two players he’s already won rings with: Davis and Irving.
The Mavericks now have everything they need to make their case.
STILL WORK TO DO
The Lakers aren’t done. They can’t be. Trading a dominant center for no center in return is a recipe for disaster.
Davis had publicly begged the front office to get him another center. Instead, they got him two: Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II in Dallas.
The Lakers still have one more first-round pick to swing another deal before the trade deadline. If they fill the void at center, it will be hard to ignore them as title contenders, right up there with Oklahoma City to come out of the West this season.
And if the Luka-LeBron experiment fails?
LeBron still wins. He gets to test-drive Dončić in L.A. before making his next move.
If it works, he stays and chases another ring.
If it doesn’t? Dallas is waiting.
MONEY PROBLEMS
There are also the financial implications of the deal on Dallas’ side. Doncic was set to sign a five-year, $345 million supermax contract extension with the Mavericks. That’s the kind of money that makes a franchise consider doing the unthinkable: trading a player sure to retire with multiple MVP awards under his belt.
The Mavericks are no longer beholden to that deal. They still have a roster that can win a title now, and if they don’t, there’s no debate they will be one piece away from forming what could be the most unstoppable trio in basketball.
And whether LeBron stays in L.A. or heads to Texas, the stage is set.
If he chooses the Mavericks, he has a chance to do what no superstar in NBA history has done: Win a title for four different franchises.
LeBron’s legacy is already secure, but if he pulls this off, the GOAT debate may finally be settled.
Either way, The King remains in control.
And in true LeBron fashion, he’s positioned himself as the ultimate winner of a trade that could reshape the NBA for years to come.
