It is said that unless Antetokounmpo or Jokic partner Doncic, there will be no better teammate than James.

According to Chaitanya Dadwar, contributor of US sports media F/W. Now that Doncic has determined his long-term future in Los Angeles, the next question in every Lakers fan's mind is what will happen to James now. While there are speculation that James won’t retire in Los Angeles, Ritchie Paul has confirmed that he won’t go anywhere this season. Therefore, the Lakers need to decide whether to rebuild around Doncic to compete in the future or give James and his assets in the current winning mode.

According to Fox Sports' Nick Wright, the Lakers should "put on the accelerator" pedals for James' potential last season with the Lakers, because he is Doncic's best teammate of all time and probably his best teammate of all time. Wright believes that unless the Lakers plan to transfer Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic in 2027, they should give up their dream of keeping their salary cap free in 2027 and make a winner action through a trade this offseason.

"I think it's very likely that Luca has never had a better teammate than James now during the entire life of this renewal. Listen, maybe they'll get Giannis and I'll be wrong, or maybe they're looking at Jokic and I'll be wrong. But Alexander won't go, Tatum won't go anywhere, and now we don't have a better player than LeBron. Whether fair or not, LeBron has some obvious frustration. I don't think it's between Luca and LeBron at all Question. If I were the Lakers, I would have made more priority to cheering up this season. Now again, if they have real intelligence, if they keep the cap clean, and two years later, Giannis plans to come there as a free agent, then stay flexible. But it's a hell of a gamble."

Giannis Antetokounmpo's current contract with the Bucks will last until the end of the 2026-27 season and have player options in the 2027-28 season. With rumors that he might consider leaving Milwaukee, if he chooses to leave the Bucks, teams in the league are preparing for the game to sign him.

Similarly, Nikola Jokic has also sparked some rumors about his future in Denver after refusing to renew his contract this summer and a slip of the tongue about his retirement plan. His contract with the Nuggets will last until the end of the 2026-27 season, and he will also get the player option for the 2027-28 season if he chooses to accept it. Both players may become free agents in 2027, when the Lakers plan to take major steps. While it seems like a reasonable plan to keep the salary cap clean for the future, both players can decide to stay with their team.

So unless the Lakers confirm their availability for the 2027-28 season, it would be a major gamble to abandon LeBron James’ potential final season to wait for the two superstars. Who do you think Doncic's partner will be the best combination?