The NBA world is picking up the pieces from the shock that was the mega-trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks overnight Saturday. Soon enough, we'll see the league's most surprising, star-studded new partnership play out: Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Hall of Famer and NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley isn't so sure the two will immediately click.
He joined NBA TV Sunday to react to the blockbuster deal, where he warned of potential growing pains between James and Doncic as two ball-dominant superstars.
"This thing is not going to be smooth in L.A. between (Luka) and Lebron," Barkley said on NBA TV. "Because both of them want the ball 100% of the time. Luka does not move without the ball, LeBron does not move without the ball, there's going to be some serious growing pains when those two play together. Now they're both great players, don't get me wrong, but LeBron wants the ball and Luka definitely wants the ball."
"This thing is not going to be smooth in LA with [Luka] and LeBron." 😳
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 2, 2025
Charles Barkley on how Anthony Davis and Luka Dončić fit with their new squads 🤝 pic.twitter.com/4nA5sUApX3
Barkley spoke to Anthony Davis's fit with the Mavericks as the other star changing teams in the deal, which he sees as a more uninterrupted shake-up.
"When Anthony Davis is healthy, it's going to be a seamless transition to Dallas, plain and simple," Barkley continued. "Because he complains all the time about the five (position), I don't even understand why he complains about the five. Unless you're playing against (Nikola Jokic) or (Joel Embiid), do we have any more big guys in the league?"
With such a massive change, bumps in the road early on are bound to happen. But, both the Lakers and Mavericks made this trade for their future. At least so Dallas says.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Charles Barkley Warns of Possible 'Growing Pains' Between Luka Doncic, LeBron James.
