The most-likely scenario, according to Dan Woike and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, is James stays put and the Lakers see how far they can get next season with a core of James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura, plus free-agent additions Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia.

Despite speculation regarding the two sides being a potential fit, the Dallas Mavericks reportedly aren't pursuing a trade for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

The Los Angeles Lakers are clearly planning their future around generational superstar Luka Doncic. Ever since they acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks, the torch has been passed from LeBron James to Doncic as the face of the future.

The Los Angeles Lakers might have a new incentive for emptying their asset collection and giving their roster as many win-now resources as they can.