The Lakers Secret Meeting Doncic is exposed, James is excluded, the Lakers are really going to change

ESPN's well-known reporter Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst jointly revealed that the Lakers' management secretly met with Luca Doncic and its business manager Lara Beth Seager at Craig's, a famous restaurant in Los Angeles, on May 3 this year - just four days after the team was eliminated in the first round.

Surprisingly, LeBron James, the core figure in all the Lakers' decisions over the past seven years, was not invited to participate.

According to witnesses, Lakers General Manager Robert Pelinka and new coach JJ Redick entered through the main entrance of the restaurant, while Doncic deliberately appeared in a low-key manner through the back door to avoid attracting too much attention.

However, after the meeting, the four left the main entrance together, and were taken by the waiting photographer and fans, and quickly went viral on TMZ and social media. Doncic even stopped and signed autographs for several fans, seemingly not to shy away from the exposure of this meeting. Sources revealed that Pelinka and Redick elaborated on the strategy of building a team around Doncic during the meeting, including how to use salary rules under the new labor agreement (such as the second rich line) to optimize the lineup, and how to retain enough cap space to find a "a star partner of the right age" for him.

Pellinka even carried a thick folder with her that contained the Lakers' offseason plans, long-term strategies and vision.

It is worth noting that this folder was usually used in the past for the Lakers' meeting with James. The target list has contributed to Anthony Davis' deals, but also included some unfulfilled signing programs. Now, the document has been handed over to Doncic, and its symbolic significance is self-evident.

Although James has one year left in his contract with the Lakers ($51.4 million in the 2024-25 season, including player options), this time he was not invited to participate in the Doncic meeting, which undoubtedly triggered speculation from the outside world about the future direction of the Lakers.

Lakers management seems to be sending a signal: they are laying out for the "post-James era" and Doncic may become the new core.

At present, Doncic has 3 years and 156 million yuan left in the contract with the Mavericks (2026-27 season player option), and the Lakers may have to pay a huge price if they want to get him. But Pelinka has obviously started to act, and this meeting may be the beginning of a bigger game.