Barkley: James will find another way out sooner or later

When talking about the Lakers' current situation and relationship with James, NBA legend Barkley bluntly stated that the Lakers are no longer James' team.

Barkley said: "James will have to find another way out sooner or later, and that's the fact. Although his data is still excellent, the team has not really succeeded in about 4 years in the years with the Lakers."

The NBA Hall of Famer's remarks are not nonsense. Before last season, the Lakers were in a long-term dilemma: since winning the championship in 2020, the team has replaced two head coaches and has only broken through the first round of the playoffs once.

However, the situation changed after the Lakers introduced Doncic on the mid-term trading deadline last season. After getting Doncic, the Lakers won consecutive victories into the playoffs. Although they were eliminated again in the first round, they quickly completed the contract renewal with Doncic, and the team seemed to have ushered in new hope.

At this time, Barkley threw a sharp fact to Lakers fans: Doncic has become the team's new core. "Now this Lakers may have been Doncic's team. Think about it, in order to get Doncic, the team trades and gives a maximum salary, how could it be his team?"